The Red Diamond
by meathead
Summary: Donatello is the star in this old fasioned detective story, in which a washed up cop becomes hell bent on finding the reasoning behind the death of his partner. Rated M for strong language and minor violence.
1. Chapter One: Sleepless Nights

Disclaimer: _I do not own the Turtles, April, Splinter, Shredder or any other related character. All character are the property of Mirage Studios. _

_Suckers..._

_Now with _Under The Skin _done and out of the way, and that Writer's Block holding me back from finishing the Family Saga, I thought back into the days of my youth where I wrote my _first_ Turtle fan fiction, back before I even knew what the heck fan fiction was! This story was based on an episode of the old cartoon in which Donatello narrated himself as a detective while he was out looking for his brothers, who had been kidnaped by some mob guy( does anyone remember this episode? I don't _think_ I was dreaming...) Anyway, I created this story in the back of my Dad's Bronco while jamming the Footloose soundtrack, and from what I remembered, it turned out to be a good story. Well, good enough for an eleven year old anyway. So, I thought back, updated a few things, threw in some bad words for good measure, and voila!_

_An old timed, old fashioned detective story! So, pop in the Kenny Loggins, sit back, and enjoy!

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_

Chapter One

New York City. The Big Apple. The city that never sleeps. Whatever it's referred as, it's still my home. I was born here, grew up here, saw things that would send most people packing. But as I stare down into the empty city streets below me, the city that never sleeps is sure as hell too quiet for me tonight.

It's raining again, like it has been for a week straight now, and I don't really realize that I'm lighting up another cigarette again. What's that make? Five in less than _ten minutes_? Damn chain smoking is gonna kill me someday, just like Leo said it would.

I leave the rain behind as I turn away from the window, the rattling of the mini blinds calling out from behind me, and I can't help but start laughing. The empty streets were _far _more welcoming than this empty apartment I'm looking at right now. It doesn't even qualify as an apartment really. It's more like a little hole dug in the ground, made especially for someone who wants to crawl into it and die. Well, I haven't become _that_ depressed. Death is the last thing on my mind right now.

Sleep, now that_ sounds_ about right, if it even came to me once and awhile, that is. Maybe I'll try it again for tonight, just to see what will happened. I stub out my smoke in the ashtray on my sloppy-as-hell desk and head for that piece of shit mattress, with those annoying springs that stabs me in the back every time I roll over. Those springs squeak a welcome to me as I sit, taking my time to remove my brown oxfords, and I allow myself to fall back, feeling that pain stick into my shell, like it does every night.

Wait a minute. Did I forget to mention I had a shell? Sorry, I tend to get carried away in my thoughts. Explaining myself was the last thing on my mind.

I'm a turtle, a giant talking turtle. I have three thick fingers on each hand, I walk upright, and I'm green. Well, if you wanna get technical, I'm leaning a little closer to an olive tone.

How did I get this way? I was created, so to speak, accidently. A _mistake_, if you must. No reason behind it. I was just a pet turtle who happened to come in contact with a glowing puddle of a slimy, toxic compound called mutagen. Kind of a wrong place, wrong time scenario.

Are their others like me? Yeah, but we're not family or anything like that, not blood anyway, and you'll find out more about them, whenever I feel like talking about them, that is.

Now, I'm laying in bed, staring at the ceiling, and you know that little moment just before you fall asleep when your unconscious wakes up and starts throwing at you all of the shit you've piled up during the day? Yeah, that's where I get stuck. I start thinking about things that I promised myself I never would ever think of again. Then I shake my head, rub at my dried out, sleep-deprived eyes, and sit back up, just like I am doing now. Then what happens next, you may ask? Well, I go over to my desk, pull out my bottle of Crown, pull out a glass, and pour myself a little something to take the pain away.

But, not tonight. For some reason, my head turns to the makeshift shelf above my bed, and right to that rust-spotted sliver picture frame. The cobwebs hanging around it means it's been awhile since I last looked at it, so I grab it and bring it down into my lap, and I can already feel the tears coming into my eyes. That's one empty well that getting refreshed tonight, at least.

Ah, Leo. Leo, Leo, Leo. I don't know what's going to win, the smile I'm trying to crack, or the dam that's trying to break above it. Old memories of better days coming flooding back to me as I look into this old black and white picture of me and my old partner, our faces lit up as we celebrated the closing of one of our cases. Damn, those were the good old days!

Leo had been in the force years longer than I had been. I was a rookie who he had taken in under his wing and he showed me everything there was to know about being a good cop and a good detective. The guy was so smart and had so much freakin' patience with me, I always wondered why he even bothered with me sometimes. Not that I was a stupid or anything. I'm smart. Well, I was back then, anyway, but I was still a handful. I was one of those 'dreamers', if you need a label for it, and my head was always up in the air. Hell, a _dog_ had a longer attention span than I did. But Leo changed all of that. He _made_ me pay attention, one of the first rules of police work. Whether it be field work collecting evidence, or in the middle of a shoot-out with a gang, you _always_ paid attention to everything that was going on around you. Be _aware_ of your surroundings.

Sounds like some kind of karate, self-defense crap, right? Well, Leo was into that whole Japanese culture thing, and he knew a lot of those karate moves. He offered to show me those moves, but I refused. I was a lover, not a fighter. Why the hell would I want to learn that? Then came Leo's second rule of thumb: _always_ be prepared. So, I let teach me a thing or two, and it wasn't as bad as I thought, but the cramps in my muscles would have told you differently.

A few years down the line, our partnership grew as did our friendship, and we had basically become more than partners, more than friends. We were _brothers_, and something like that doesn't happen too often. Of course, the fact that he, too, was a mutated turtle, had nothing to do with it. Okay,_ maybe_ just a little, but it was more like a soul connection. But, like all things in life, they must come to an end.

We had been staking out this mobster for a few years, some Japanese guy that called himself the Shredder, which to me is a shitty mob name, but that didn't matter. He was the scariest son of a bitch in all of New England, even most of the guys on the force peed their pants at the mention of his name. If you were working with him, the world was your oyster. If you were against him, death was at your door at four in the morning with a bullet ready for your head when you stepped out to get your morning paper. He took no prisoners. Being a ruthless warlord was his specialty.

Leo was the only brave one to take on the Shredder, or the most stupid, depending on which cop you talked to, and I was dragged into the whole thing. I kept telling him it was a bad idea, and he would come back and say:

"We've been tailing this guy for years now! We know who he talks to, we know who he pays off, we know who he sleeps with. Hell, we even know what color shit paper he uses!"

To which I would ask:

"Which would be what? Pink?"

Sometimes I'd get a dirty look, a laugh, or a simple 'smartass'. It just depended on what mood he was in that day.

So, there we were, sitting in Leo's beat up Cadillac, the victim of one too many car chases, and we would wait. Wait, and wait, and wait. I think I even fell asleep at one point! But soon, the Shredder showed up, along with the rest of his Japanese posse, all dressed in their thousand dollar pinstripe black suits, their black hair slicked back, and machine guns by the boat load. And I remember that look Leo had on his green face, that look in his brown eyes. It wasn't just a look that a cop gives a guy when he hands him a speeding ticket. No, there was something else there, something that scared the living shit out of me. Leo was out for blood, and there would be no stopping him.

Everything from that point on was a blur to me. I remember shouting, gunfire, screams, more gunfire, then the pain of a bullet ripping into my side. Then I guess I passed out from the loss of blood cause everything went black around me. Next thing I know, I'm waking up in the hospital and they tell me that Leo didn't make it. And just like that, just like dropping that glass of Crown Royale onto the tiled floor under your feet, everything I had come to love shuttered around me.

So, here I am, laying on a shitty mattress, in a shit hole apartment, not knowing what to do next, and so many unanswered questions swarm my head. Dammit, Leo! If only you had listened to me, we'd be out celebrating that bastard's conviction right now! My forced smile fades, and I give way for the tears. I push myself back to my feet, retie my Oxfords and grab my coat and hat as I head for the door. Well, if I'm gonna cry tonight, why the hell should I be alone? I know a cozy little place a few blocks from here, I can drain my tears into something a little stronger. It's only midnight. The night has only just begun.

Oh, and if you're still wondering, the name's Donatello, but you can call me Don, and if you care to join me, I'm on my way to the Red Diamond.


	2. Chapter Two: One Drink Too Many

Chapter Two

Everybody in Manhattan knows the Red Diamond. It's been around for years. It's been everything from a jazz club to a speakeasy, the themes change just as fast as the owners do. Its location may be to blame for that. It sits smack dab in-between two sky high office buildings. Or, it could be because there's no sign on the outside either. But that doesn't seem to hurt anything. Business is always good at the Red Diamond.

I'm standing across the street from it, taking my time and enjoying my smoke before I go in. Not that you can't smoke inside, I'm just watching the riffraff that's going in. Saturday nights are when all the gangsters and lowlife of the city show up, and I wish I could understand why. This place, since it's new owner took over, is a little more high class than what those scum could comprehend. But I'm not in the mood to fight right now. I'll keep my profile low, blend into the surroundings, and I should avoid confrontation.

The bouncer nods at me as I approach, his long black hair pulled back, showing off those pretty boy cheekbones. He's wearing his nightly work attire: a white shirt and black pants.

"Evenin' Casey," I nod back. "Slow night?"

Casey Jones shrugs. He's not one for conversation with me these days, ever since that little thing between me, him and that redhead. He pushes the door open, making sure to avoid eye contact with me as I pass by. I can't help but sigh. Enemies are in abundance around here.

The first thing that hits you about this place is the atmosphere. Dabbed with low red lighting, the Red Diamond pulls you in with a relaxed, scotch-in-your-hand, come-sit-by-the-fire feeling. In the far corner lays a small stage, where my favorite local jazz group plays nightly, but not tonight. The jazz music is playing through an old radio above the bar. I overhear the bartender telling someone else the bass player came down with the flu. Must be all of that rain we've been having.

I remove my coat and hat, shaking the raindrops off before hanging them up on the coat rack in the doorway. I do my best to smooth out the wrinkles in my brown blazer as I make my way to the bar, and I find my spot, on the right side, closet to the bathrooms. Not that I enjoy the smell of shit and vomit, it's the best seat for staking out the rest of the club. I can see everything that goes down from here. Police reflex, I guess.

The bartender notices me, and gets a big, goofy grin on his green face. Yep, I said green. He's another mutant turtle.

"Hey, Donnie!" he says in his usual chipper, surfer-wannabe accent that makes him sound like he's from the west coast. "Long time, no see, bro."

"Hey, Mike," I reply as he wipes down the chipped wooden bar and sets down a napkin.

"The usual?"

I look at Mike and wonder what my usual really is. " Sure Mikey. Whatever you say."

He gives me another smile, then goes to work fixing my drink, and I can't help but smile back at him. Michelangelo, Mike or Mikey, as he prefers, was another turtle caught up Shredder's evil schemes. Mike was raised by this old man, an immigrant from Japan who just happened to have ties with the Shredder. Well, to make a long story short, the guy gets fileted by two of the Shredders' goons, and Mikey's without a place to go. Leo felt bad for the kid, and took it upon himself to look after him. But after Leo died, Mikey once again found himself without a home, and I knew I couldn't take care of him. Hell, I can't even take care of myself half of the time! That's when someone else stepped up and welcomed Mikey into her house, and she took good care of him. Not since Leo did anyone have the heart to reach out to a complete stranger.

"Here ya go, bro," Mike places down a double bourbon in front of me, breaking my thoughts. I pick up the glass, swishing the alcohol around like it was a fine wine, opening up the flavor and my mouth watered as I took a swig.

"So," I finished it off and set the glass down, where Mike is waiting to refill it. "How have you been, Mikey?"

"Okay, I guess," He replaces the glass in front of me and watches intently as I swallow just as fast as the first one. "Man, you're taking it in a little too fast. You feeling bad again?"

When don't I feel bad? "Naw, I'm good. Just can't sleep, that's all."

My eyes wonder around the hushed crowd, which is actually smaller than I had expected, and I spot two strange looking guys sitting in the far corner near the stage. They're huddled together, obviously whispering, and obviously very suspicious looking.

"Hey, Mikey," I lean in over the bar and lower my voice as I nod in their direction. "Who are the weirdos sitting in the back booth?"

Mike turns around, just enough to see with his peripheral vision, and quickly gets back to me, the color drained from his face, and I know immediately something is wrong.

"It's them," Mike whispers, his hands visibly trembling with fear. "Those are the guys that bumped off my dad!"

I lean to my right side to get a better look at those guys, noting that they look more like street punks than cold blooded killers. One's black, the other white. The black guy sports a purple Mohawk, while the white guy carries a shaggy mess of blonde hair on his head. Various piercings cover their ears and faces, and their way of dressing makes them look like boot camp rejects. I start to laugh, which brings tears to Mikey's eyes.

"I'm sorry, kid," I slow my laughter. "But they don't even look like they have the intelligence to even _think _about killing someone."

Mike gives me this dirty look as he refills my glass, not caring that he spills half of it on the counter. "Whatever, asshole." With that, he walks away.

Geesh, what's with everyone? First Casey, now Mikey. I'm only down to one more strike. I shake off Mikes' anger and take another sip, slower this time, knowing that I may have to get the next one myself. I didn't mean to be so negative to the kid, but I know what he wants. It was the same thing Leo wanted: revenge, and lots of it. And wanting revenge that bad only brings around one thing: death, and lots of it.

As the cold glass hits my lips again, the subtle smell of roses penetrates my nose, and I can't stop my eyes from closing while I linger on the heavenly scent. A soft pat on my shoulder wakes me from my daydream and I turn to face the owner of the Red Diamond, and of that dainty hand.

"Hey, stranger," The words pass through her red lips like silk. " Haven't seen you in awhile."

I linger on her breathtaking beauty as she sits on the bar stool next to me. Her strawberry hair is curled just at the bottom, and she tosses it back with that porcelain hand. Her green eyes sparkle like the sequins on her dark blue off-the-shoulder dress, which shows off her amazing, curvy figure. Yeah, if you couldn't tell, I had a thing for her. Well, I still do, and I'm not fooling anyone. She pulls a cigarette out of my pack on the bar and motions at me for a light. I oblige, then light one for myself.

"Keepin' everyone in line, tonight, April?" I ask, not pulling my eyes away from her as I finish my drink.

She chuckles lightly in response. " I had to kick out a few people, but it's been pretty quiet tonight."

April may look delicate, but she is one tough girl. If you cause trouble in her bar, your ass is outside in five seconds flat. Leo taught her basic self defense, which is how we met, and to this day she still brags about how she could pin me on the ground with no remorse.

I continue to watch her lips curl around that cigarette, and chills run up my spine. God, I still wish she was mine. But there are too many complications for that to even be a possibility now, and one of them just happens to be sitting at the other end of the bar.

"April!" A thick, Brooklyn accent rings out. " Get yer ass over here and get me another scotch!"

My eyes shift, and I find myself looking at Raphael, Chief of Police, and April's current sugar daddy. I can tell from his slumped over posture that he's had a few too many, which is bad for everyone. When this turtle gets drunk, he gets mouthy, reason number five for not liking him.

"You can't get any fuckin' good service in this shit hole, doll," Raph slurs, his voice reaching an annoying volume. "Ya need to get some better help in here!" He slams the glass down, and I could see Mike wince, trying to hold back the tears of frustration as he hurried through the rest of his waiting customers to get to Raph's empty glass.

"Baby, calm down," April slinks up to him and rubs his shoulders, using that soft, silky voice to soothe him. "Mike's busy. He'll get you some more in a second. Just be patient."

Next comes reason number four.

"Man, why don't you just go make yerself useful and get it?" Raph grabs April's wrist and flings her around into the bar, the crunching of her ribs echoing in my ears. "And don't fuckin' touch me like that in public!"

My fist balls up under the bar, and it took everything I had to not jump up and beat the shit out of that guy. April readjusts herself, and she holds onto her aching side as she moves around the bar to the bottle of scotch on the top shelf, her hand shaking as she poured Raph his drink.

Asshole. Hope he fucking chokes on it. Now for reason number three.

Raph throws his head back, tipping the glass to his lips and swallowing it in one gulp, trickles of the hard liquor running down his face and into the lapels of his gray collared shirt. He slams the glass on the bar again, then drunkenly spins under in his seat and staggers over to a guy playing darts. He grabs the guy, who so skinny he should be invisible, and shoves his alcoholic breath into the guy's face.

"Do ya know who I am, punk?" Raphael sneers. "I own this fuckin' town, and everybody in it. You got that, scumbag?"

Yeah, I bet Skinny wishes he really was invisible. Before the guy could even answer, Raph hauls off and sends his fist into Skinny's stomach, knocking him out cold. Raph laughs, not caring that everyone is looking at him. That is, until he notices they are.

"What? What the fuck are ya starin' at? I fuckin' kick all of yer asses too!"

"Raph, honey," No, April! Don't do that!

"I said, get offa me, you stupid whore!" Raph sends April to the ground next to Skinny with a slap across the face. My blood is past its boiling point, and I can't hold myself back anymore.

"Hey, Raph," I flick my cigarette to the floor and slowly stand. "Don't you know that real men don't hit dames?"

Raph raised his burning eyes to me, and I can't help but get a little spooked by that evil look of his. "Well, well, look who it is! You decided to crawl outta yer little hole and join the real world? And if ya didn't notice, I'm a turtle, not a man."

His laughter goes right through me. God, I hate that smart ass mouth of his. But, look out, here's reason number two.

" Are ya ever gonna get over Leo, Donnie?" Raph, who's clearly not thinking at this point, saunters closer to me, the scotch weighing heavily on his tongue. "Ya can't still be mournin' that guy! It's been six fuckin' months! He ain't worth it!"

"Shut your face, Raph," I warned. " He was ten times the cop you could ever wish to be."

Raph stops, and I could tell he was processing the words I had just said. "What? You're-you're kiddin', right?" He laughs like a mad man again. "Oh, that's fuckin' rich, Donnie! Okay, if that's the case, then why the hell am I still alive and he's six feet fuckin' underground?"

I turn away, now wishing that I hadn't crawled out of my hole. "Leo died trying to do the right thing. He only wanted the city to be safe. You, on the other hand, don't give a shit about anybody. All you cared about was the publicity."

It was true. All Raph wanted was some fame. He joined up to the force about a month after I did, and it was obvious that he wanted to be where Leo was: at the top of the police food chain. Raph tried everything he could to get Leo's job, but failed, and it only made things bad for him. He was stuck being a street cop, working the beat, the one job he hated with a passion, and he blamed Leo for everything. The night we went out to stop the Shredder, and we knew we had no choice but to call for backup. Raph planned it so that he arrived just after me and Leo had been shot, making it look like he had taken Shredder's crew out all by himself while trying to save us. His face was all over the papers the next day. He was a hero, and it was a non-stop, uphill roller coaster ride to the top after that, while I went down that same roller coaster, backwards in a broken car. Now, I was working the beat, and he was moving the money around.

"Well, it worked, didn't it?" Raphael bowed his head. " I came out lookin' like the hero." His smile grew bigger as he moved into my personal space, breathing his drunken breath on me.

"Just think, Donnie. If it wasn't for me, Leo would still be alive. Funny, huh?"

What? What the hell did he just say? Raph throws his head back in laughter, but teeters backwards and loses his balance. He falls to the floor, then sits up, his eyes narrowed at April's curled up body.

"Don't just sit there! Help me up! And get my fuckin' coat! We're leavin'!"

April scrambles quickly to her feet, then yanks Raph up, throwing his arm around her shoulders. As they move to the door, April looks at me with those gorgeous, but sad green eyes of hers, and gives me a weak smile.

"It was good to see you, Don."

"Don't fuckin' talk ta him, you hussy. He ain't worth it either."

I don't respond to either one of them, just watch helplessly as April pulls Raphael along while he nibbles at her slender neck and moves his free hand up the front of her dress.

Reason number one why I hate that guy, and it looks like I've struck out for the night.

* * *

_A/N: Just a quick note about that Kenny Loggins crack. That was just my weird sense of humor, and the Footloose soundtrack has nothing to do with this story. That was just the thing I was listening to at the original time I wrote this. So whoever it was that emailed me, think a little less Kevin Bacon, and a lot more 1940's jazz! Sorry about that! 0P_


	3. Chapter Three: Wasted Life

_I just wanted to start out by saying a big thank you to Dierdre for the wonderful review! Yeah, I don't know why no one elsehas reviewed yet. Maybe the jury is still out on this story. But that's okay. I don't expect everyone to like it. That's not why I post my stories. I enjoy writing, and it makes me feel good to know that others enjoy my work, whether or not they review. But anyway, thanks Dierdre for the comments and I hope you continue to enjoy the story.Leo will still appear, but only in Don's dreams and thoughts. And yeah, Raph is a HUGE jerk right now, but I love the guy too much to make him that bad. You'll just have to stay tuned to see what happens to him.And now, on to Chapter Three..._

* * *

Chapter Three 

_"Don, I think we got him this time."_

_Leo turns to me with that look in his eyes, that blood thirsty lust for revenge look, scaring the piss out of me._

_"Don't you think we should wait for backup?"_ _I tell him as I watch another carload of Japanese in black suits pour out. "He's gotta have at least fifty guys in there with him!"_

_Leo pops open the clip of his gun, making sure he's fully loaded before he slips it back in. "No, we can't. There's no time." He looks at me again, that lust growing across his face as he brings down his shades. "He might leave before they show up."_

_"Leo, come on!" I tried to stall him again. "We can't possibly take out all of them!"_

_"Listen!" He shoves his finger into my face, and I cringe against the door. "I've waited five fucking years for this! No one is going blow this for me! You understand? No one!"_

_He opens the door to the Caddy and bolts for the wall, pressing himself up against as tightly as possible. His black coat whips in the wind, and his sunglasses make him look more like a hit man than a cop. He looks back at me, then grits his teeth as he waves me in, and I can't help but hesitate as I slink out of the car and join him. This is wrong, so wrong. Leo was always one to follow proper police procedure_,_ do everything by the book. He's not himself today, not at all._

_I watch my footwork as we shuffle across the concrete floor, using the shadows to conceal ourselves as we follow the newest batch of Foot followers deep into the decrepit_ _warehouse. The musty smell of mold lingers around us, and Leo glares at me as I fight back the tingling in my nose. Like I can control when I gotta freakin' sneeze, and now is not the time for Leo's mind over body shit!_

_The sound of loud, Japanese barking breaks us away from our silent argument. Leo peeks around the crates we're standing behind, then quickly turns back. I can almost see the wheels spinning inside that fast thinking brain of his, but I think the wiring needs a little adjustment._ _He pulls back on his Makarov RK-59, the click of the bullet entering the chamber echoing between us, and he takes in a deep breath, muttering something in Japanese as he closes his eyes. I never bothered to learn the damn language, but I've been around Leo long enough to know what he just said. _

_Roughly translated: No man suffers injustice without learning what justice really is._

_Leo opened his eyes, flashed that million dollar smile of his at me, then jumped out into the waiting arms of the Shredder. The screams and the sharp banging of blasting bullets around my head grew louder and louder, and I opened fire, turning away, not even knowing if I was hitting anyone. The pounding was getting louder, the screams calling my name. Leo? Is that you? It's dark! I can't see a damn thing!_

"Don! Donnie! Please! Wake up!"

I force my eyes open, holding back the pool of sunlight that's coming in through those stupid mini blinds. The pounding on the door increased, and I thought for sure it was gonna fall in.

"Hang on," I mumbled as I sat up. The pounding came again, and I grabbed at my throbbing temples. Shit, sounds like the fucking door is screwed into my head.

"Don, please!" The soft female voice cried out. " I need you!"

I look at the old grandfather clock across the room and I'm barely able to make out through my fuzzy vision that it's eighty-thirty. Too bad it wasn't eighty-thirty at night so I could stop myself from getting hammered again. Oh well, I got five hours in. That's more sleep than I've had in awhile.

"Hang on." I mumbled as I pulled on my bathrobe, which was sling over the footboard of my bed, and stagger to the door. Note to self: Next time you decide to get drunk, go sleep it off in a hotel so no one can find you the next day.

I pull the door back, wincing at the creaking noise it makes, and my fuzzy eyes readjust to the fluorescent lights of the buildings hallway, and to the sobbing mess of a woman standing in front of me.

"April?" I step back and let her in, catching her as she fell into my arms, her rose perfume invading my nose again.

"Oh, Donnie! It's all my fault! I never should have left him alone!"

I narrow my eyes in confusion. "What? You left who alone?"

April sniffed again, the tears sending her mascara down her blushed cheeks. "He's dead because of me! I never should have left him!"

I growl in frustration as I pull her away from my chest and shake her. "Dammit, April! Who are you talking about?"

"It's-it's...Mikey," April finally stammered out, and it took me another hour after that before I could register what she was about to say next.

"He's dead, Donnie. Mikey's dead."

* * *

The Red Diamond was crawling with police and city officials when I passed under the yellow tape in front of the doors. Some of my fellow officers nodded at me, but seemed to also throw me dirty looks as they passed by, almost passing judgement on me right there. So what if I was one of the last people to see Mike alive? Doesn't mean I bumped him off! Jerks. 

I walked past Casey, who was sitting in my usual spot as one of my cop buddies questioned him. Our eyes locked again, and that evil grimace on his face returned, his lips curling into a sneer. He too seemed to be worse than normal. I quickly turned away. I'm not really in the mood for a contest to see who could be the bigger asshole.

I stopped in front of those dirty bathroom doors and looked down, holding back the vile in my stomach as it burned to come up. They had already taken Mikey's body away, but the chalk outline was still there, as was the puddles of blood that congealed inside and around it. I bent down and lightly brushed at the chalk, the tears silently pooling in my eyes. I've lost two brothers now, and I'm telling you, that pain in my chest I'm having right now, it doesn't feel too good.

"Well, well, look who's returned ta the scene of the crime."

I quickly wiped at my face and stood up, holding back the urge to slug that smart ass mouth as I turn around. Raphael took a long drag from his cigarette then blew the smoke in my face.

"I see you slept off all that scotch you took in last night." Maybe I was in the mood to play the biggest asshole game.

Raphael took another puff as a smile grew on his face. "Yeah. April helped me with that."

Ouch. Okay, I'll let him win this time.

"So," Raphael finished the cigarette and stomped in out in the red carpeting. "I heard that you and Mike had a little fallin' out last night. Is that why ya came back ta knock him off?"

That would explain the glares I was getting. Sure hope Raph and Casey had fun sharing their little 'Don killed Mikey' theory.

"Screw you, Raph," I lowered my voice and stared into his green face. "Mike was like my little brother. Why the hell would I want to kill him over some stupid argument?"

Raphael growled, then jumped at me. "Look, Don, I got a handful of people sayin' you was the last one they saw comin' out of this place around three this mornin'!"

So, maybe I was the last one to leave. Still doesn't mean anything. "What witnesses? Casey and Mikey were the only ones here!"

Raphael gave me another smug grin. " I got people."

Man, he was pissing me off! Time to turn the tables on him. "Yeah, I bet you paid them really good too. Passed some of that tax money around."

That was enough to melt the smile on his face. He turned around hoping that no one around us had heard what I had said, then he grabbed the lapels of my coat and pushed me into the corner by the bathroom doors.

"Listen ta me, you fuckin' maggot," He shoved his finger into my face, his breaths coming out in short whips. "There are things goin' on in this city that you wouldn't understand, and ta make them things work, you gotta move the cash around. But I swear on the grave of my father that if you _ever_ say somethin' like that again, I'll fuckin' kill ya. Ya got me?"

I held my tongue and my eyes to his. I understand how the game works in the city. You gotta use money to make money, and you gotta use that same money to keep people quiet, sometimes permanently. Power comes from paying off the right people This is were I suddenly start feeling sorry for Raph. He may have been a jerk back in the day, but he was an honest one. He soon learn the game really quick after making it to Chief of Police, but I know that deep down inside he never liked it.

"I got you, Raph." I narrowed my eyes and shoved his hands away from me. "But if you're trying to set me up, you better know that I won't go down without a fight."

"I ain't settin' ya up for shit!" Raphael's voice rose a little, but he quieted back down. "I was tellin' ya the truth when I said I got people who saw ya stagger outta this place." Raph looked around again. "I just wanna warn ya ta watch your fuckin' back, that's all."

"Oh, that's sweet," I said sarcastically. "Didn't know you cared so much."

Raph spit into the carpet, barely missing my shoes. "I don't." He turned away and walked back into the middle of the bustling swarm of cops, almost like a ghost disappearing into a thick fog. After all these years of knowing him, I still don't think I'll ever understand what motives that guy to act like he does. I shake my head, then look down at the chalk drawn body and process what Raph just said. Watch my back, huh?

I knelt down again, studying the way Mike fell. It was obvious right off the bat that he had been stabbed. The puddles of blood were very close to the body and neatly collected. I look up to the wall, making sure I was right. No bullet holes in either door, or in the wood paneling. That was always the first thing Leo checked for: Choice of the murder weapon.

I stood back up, looking at the outline, and from the way Mike had fallen, he was cornered, tried to defend himself, and fell flat on his face. Of course, having the body still around would have been better to prove this, but I didn't want to see Mike like that, his face mangled in the last moment of terror. I may have been a cop for almost ten years, and seen my share of dead bodies, but when it comes to seeing someone close to you like that, it was something I could live without. Anyway, that was the second thing Leo did: Check for signs of struggle, which may show the victim knew the attack was coming.

Now that I had some idea of what went down, I still didn't know the reasoning behind it. Why would someone want Mikey dead? He was just an innocent kid trying to make it in this hell forsaken world! I shook off my anger and the tears that came with it, and moved outside for a smoke. My nerves were on edge, and it took me at least ten tries to light my Zippo. I leaned against the rough brick surface of the Red Diamond's outside wall as I took a long drag and closed my eyes. I know these things are nothing but stimulants and there for don't calm you down, but it was the only crutch I had at the moment. Besides, it's too early to get wasted again.

My thoughts go back to last night. I remember Mike telling me it was time to close up shop, and I happily swayed my way to the coatrack to fetch my belongings. I said good night to him, and something that tried to come out as an apology about his claim about those punks in the back, and-holy shit!

My eyes flew open and I threw the cigarette to the ground. Those two left just a few seconds before I did, and they were standing across the street as I left. Casey was there! I know he had to have seem them! But why wouldn't he tell the cops that? I think back to that look he gave me and I know something is really wrong here, and as I cross the street and head for the precinct building, I suddenly realize that maybe Mike was the victim of mistaken identity.


	4. Chapter Four: Scum of the Earth

_And then there were two! Much thanks to Lexy8 (hey, that rhymes, and I'm such a dork for pointing that out!) for the awesome review. I'm glad you like my approach to the story, and I hope you continue to enojy it. And feel free to draw the characters. I'd love to see how you bring them to life! Thanks to everyone who has been reading along. Enjoy!_

* * *

Chapter Four 

Night has fallen again, as is the rain. Not that it makes any difference to me. Some of my wild cousins live in the crap. I peek around the corner of the alley I've been hiding in, checking to see if the two goons I've been following have come out of the greasy pawn shop across the street yet. I can still see the black guy's Mohawk, as purple as the band around my fedora. I don't know why, but I've always like the color. Ever since those church people came to the orphanage at Christmas and handed me that purple teddy bear when I was three, I've been attached to it. I've read that purple is a power color that represents royalty and a taste for the finer things in life. Shit, that leaves me out! I'm not classy enough for that, not anymore.

But back to those punks in the pawn shop. When I got to the precinct earlier today, I was lucky enough to find files on these guys. Good thing these two idiots are stupid enough to get caught, but bad for the city when a secret contact of theirs pays their bail money. You would think after over two dozens felonies between the two of them, that someone would wise up and send them to federal prison. Just shows you how corrupt and money driven this city really is.

Mr. Purple Mohawk over there, checking out the stereos, his name is Bebop. His white buddy with that screwed up grin on his face is Rocksteady. They've done everything from snatching purses to car jacking to robbing liquor stores. All petty things, nothing that would save them from becoming shower meat in prison. Except for the new thing they can add to their long list of accomplishments: Murder, in the first degree.

I watch as Rocky grabs the Asian guy behind the counter and shakes the shit out of him, which by the look on the old guy's face, I think that could be a literal statement. He pulls out a handgun, shoves it into the man's face, and I'm sure from the way his wide mouth is moving, he's screaming something like 'Give me all your fuckin' money before I blow your goddamn brains out!' I told you, ten years. I know how guys like that work.

The old man throws a sack at them and drops behind the counter as Bebop opens the door and looks around. He waves Rocksteady out, who continues to hold the gun at the guy until the door is closed and they're halfway down the block. They disappear from my sight, but their laughter is still loud enough to be heard three streets away. I think now would be the time to make my move.

I tail them for fifteen blocks, sticking to the shadows as Leo always said to do. They stop on the corner of Lerie Avenue and 12th, have a small conversation while splitting up the stolen money, then part ways. Bebop heads right up 12th , then turns into an apartment building that should have been condemned years ago. Rocksteady heads left down Lerie, and I know exactly what he's goin after. This section of the city is well known for the drug and prostitution rings, and I bet the shell on my back that Rocky here is going for a little of both.

I hurry down 12th , passing by the hookers and their nightly advertisements, and turn into the building Bebop had entered, taking care to step over the guy near the door who's laying in pool of vomit, and is either passed out or dead. Can't tell. The stairs creak loudly as I climb them, my senses bombarded by the scents of urine and marijuana. The disturbing silence that greeted me at the door carries to the second floor, the only noise is the distant cry of an infant. I stop at the base of the stairs and wait until Bebop's shadow tramps down the hallway, then move up the stairs once again. He enters the room at the end of the hallway, slamming the door behind him.

"Shuddup out there!" Someone shouts from across the hall as I pass by. I stare into his door, noting that the frame looks a termite feast in the making. I reach for the door handle, and I'm surprise to find it unlocked. Idiot. Why the hell would you keep your door unlocked in a neighborhood like this? Unless, you knew you were being followed... by a cop...

The click of a trigger echoes from behind the door and I immediately pull out my revolver. Bebop flings the door open and the spray of bullets begins.

"No fuckin' ghost's gonna come after me!" His Jersey accented voice screams out as he chases me back down the hallway. I bust through another apartment door, scaring the couple inside, who by the look of things, were about to shoot up something highly illegal. They duck down to the carpet at the sight of my gun, and I fire back at Bebop, who himself has ducked back into his apartment.

"Youse supposed ta be dead, you fuckin' pig!" Bebop screams again with another load of bullets.

"Sorry!" Was the only thing I could think of. I'm kinda under a lot of pressure at the moment. You try to think of something witty to say while someone is shooting at you. The firing suddenly stops, which means either Mohawk is out of ammo, or he escaped. Either way, that asshole is mine!

I peer around the door, straining to hear any sounds, but I can only hear that baby downstairs. I stand up and slowly creep along the crumbling drywall, the peeling brown paint falling to the ground as my coat covered shell scraps along it. I stop just short of his door, holding my breath as I pull it back. Just as I thought, he's gone. I look into his apartment, gun raised and cocked as I venture in. The floor is covered in clothing, beer bottles, drug paraphernalia, food wrappers. I don't really need to go further, this place is a fucking pigsty! I maybe be messy, but at least my mess is organized. The open window catches my attention, and as I move closer to it, I can see Bebop's frantic body scurrying down Lerie Avenue. A smile spreads across my face. That's okay, pig-boy. I know _exactly_ where you are headed.

Rocksteady's building is basically a carbon copy of his buddy's place, except the noise level is ear shattering. The place is crawling with hookers and druggies, and what a sight for a visitor to the area to walk in a find the couple by the stairs engaging in a provocative sex act. I climb the stairs, which feel like they are going to fall out from under me, and stop at the second floor. This level isn't as noisy, except for the second door on the left, which is wide open and the occupants inside are yelling things about a certain cop who should be dead and how they got the wrong guy, blah, blah, blah. Gee, I wonder if they mean me?

I stand in the doorway, the sight on my revolver pointed in-between Bebop and Rocksteady, who is naked from the waist up, his gut hanging over his unzipped camouflage pants. They stop talking and turn to me, and Bebop puts his gun back into the air.

"See! I told youse he was still alive!"

"Alright, scumbag," I growl through my gritted teeth. "Put the gun down and get down on your knees." I take a step forward.

"Hows about you drop your gun and I blow yer head off!" Rocksteady pulls his piece out of his back pocket. Hmmm, two against one. I've been in positions worse than this one. What I need is a distraction so I can move in closer.

"What the hell is gonna on out there?"

Ah, the angels above are singing in praise!

The blonde prostitute that Rocky picked up comes out, wearing black see-through lingerie. She eyes the guns in the punks' hands, then turns and gasps at the revolver in mine.

"Evein' ma'am." I tip my hat to her. "N.Y.P.D."

"Holy fuck," Her brown eyes blink twice, and I lunge at her, pushing her into the punks. She screams as she falls into Rocksteady's arms. He drops his gun, which fires upon hitting the floor, and the stray bullet hits Bebop directly in the back of his hand. He lets out a long string of cuss words and falls to his knees, clutching his bleeding appendage in his lap. Rocksteady tosses the hooker aside, slamming her into a table and dumping the lines of coke onto the floor, and he tries to grab for his gun. But, unfortunately for him, I'm right there in his way, the barrel of the revolver pushing against his temple.

I don't think I could have planned that any better.

"Sit back, asshole," I shoved the revolver down harder in his head. He obeys, but only after mumbling the F-word at me a few times. I back off of him, keeping my eyes on him. I know Bebop and the knocked out hooker won't be going anywhere anytime soon.

"Now then," I pull up a chair and sit backwards in it, taking off my hat and setting it on my knee. "I have some questions that need to be answered. First off, why did you kill that bartender from the Red Diamond?"

"Kiss my ass, copper!" Rocksteady spit at me. "We's ain't sayin' shit!"

I shook my head. Poor, stupid thugs. "Okay, I'll ask you again. Why did you kill my brother?"

"Fuck off!" Rocksteady screamed, almost jumping to his feet, but before he could register what was going on, I dropped my gun back into the holster under my arm and place my thumb securely on his neck, just above his Adam's apple. I don't think he really knew what I was about to do to him.

"I was trying to do this the easy way, but since you made it very clear that you don't want to talk," I pushed my thumb deeper into the thick skin of his pale hide, and Rocky began to cough.

"What the fuck are ya doin'?" He cried out through a struggled breath, and I pushed harder.

"Now, I'm going to ask you one more time, and if you give me the answers I need, I'll make it easier for you to breath. Understood?" His bulging eyes shook as he nodded. "Good. Why did you murder Mikey?"

"We got...got the wrong...guy..." Rocksteady sputtered out. "We was supposed ta get you!"

No kidding. Next question. "Why? Why was I the target?"

"I-I-I don't know!" Wrong answer, Rocky. I dug my thumb back into his neck and his hands waved about.

"Why was I the target?" I growled. I was getting impatient, and I knew that if I kept this up, the squad would be carrying Dumbass here to the morgue instead of jail. Rocksteady was slowly going, and my anger was allowing me to watch him die.

"We's don't know, okay!" Bebop lifted his head up from the bloody mess in his lap. "The guy that sent us ta get youse didn't say why! He just gaves us the money and told us to off youse!"

I released Rocksteady, and he fell over, clutching at his neck as he gasp for air. I lifted my leg over the chair and knelt down beside Bebop, but replaced my gun to Rocksteady's head, just in case.

"What guy? Who is he? What's his name?" Like I've got all night to play Twenty Questions. "Tell me!"

Bebop winced from the pain, twisting his face in all directions. "He never told us. He just had black hair. That's all I remember!"

What the hell? Black hair? That narrows it down to the millions of Italians and Asians living in Manhattan! I dropped my eyes to the floor and rubbed at my aching head with my free hand. "Do you idiots at least remember where you met him at?"

This time around, Rocksteady answered, his voice a bit warbled as his crushed wind pipe began to open up. "Dakota...Sports Bar." And with that, Rocky passed out cold, leaving his buddy shivering in pain.

I sighed as I stood and looked around for a phone. Dakota Sports Bar, why does that place sound familiar? I found the phone near the cockroach infested kitchen, and I placed a call to the station, citing that I was a neighbor who was complaining about the noise coming from apartment 2B. A big lie, I know, but I can't risk my cop buddies finding out about my mission, seeing as how I'm working the beat and not a detective anymore. And I don't think any of my victims over there are going to say much, seeing as how two are passed out and one is in a lot of pain and losing blood rapidly. They'll all be lucky to remember their names in the morning.

The hallway is still empty as I move out of the apartment, but the distant sound of wailing sirens tells me I need to pick up the pace and get out of there. I scurry past all the scum and run through the shadows before ducking into an alley. The lights of the police cars cause the animals inside to scatter, and I laugh as they run by me.

As I move down the alley and light up a smoke, it suddenly hits me. The Dakota Sports Bar? Guy with black hair? Holy shit. I dropped the cigarette and head up the next street. That sports bar was the place that we used to all hang out at back in the day. Raph was the one who would drag me, Mike and Leo there for drinks. It's where we first met April, who was a waitress there. And we met her through... Casey Jones.

I waved down a taxi, telling him to take me across town to the Dakota. He gave me a strange look, as does everyone who sees me for the first time, but quickly shrugged it off as he hit the gas. The cabby's a New Yorker. I'm sure he sees all kinds of weird shit.

The wind coming in through the open window picked up the smoke from my newly lit cigarette, and as the memories sneak up on me, I shake my head sadly. Damn, Casey. It happened so long ago, man. It wasn't my fault April left you and came running to me! And you think killing me is going to send her back to you?

"Oh, Case. Why can't you let things go?" I muttered to myself as the smoke curled out of the cab and into the night air. Jealousy is a bitter monster that will eat you alive.


	5. Chapter Five: The Dead Don't Talk

_First I gotta give a shout out to Pacphys for the review. Thanks for taking the time to read! And I just wanted to let everyone know that I found the episode that inspired my story. It was called 'The Maltese Hamster'. Itaired in the third season in 1989.You can find it at the offical Turtle site under the Turtle TV guide. That story and mine are totally different, but it was Donatello that narrated the episode like he was Sam Spade or something.I just wanted to make I wasn't going crazy! ;0) _

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Chapter Five 

"You're lookin' for who?"

My patience sure is being tested tonight. I sigh at the raven-haired girl, just waiting for the heavy tray of drinks in her hands to fall to the floor, and again raise my voice over the noise.

"Casey Jones! He's about six feet tall, muscular build. Shoulder length black hair, blue eyes? He comes in here all the time!"

The waitress steps back as two brawny college kids cut in between us and she almost loses her balance. She then gives me a dumbfounded look and shrugs her shoulders.

"Look, Mister," she moves around me as she speaks. " I've only been workin' here for a few days. I don't know who this Casey guy is! And if ya couldn't tell, this place is packed tonight, and I got four tables watin' on me!"

Geesh, a simple 'no' would have sufficed.

She disappears into the throngs and I sigh once more. I don't ever remember this place being so rowdy! When I first joined the force, The Dakota was nothing more than a quiet Irish pub where middle aged business men gathered to share a few quiet drinks with friends. Ten years later, the place is a cacophonic Irish pub where middle aged men come to pick up college girls after the NYU football games and do shots from the 'V' in their ample chests. My, how the times have changed.

I push past a huddle of drunken jocks and find an empty seat at the bar. The bartender, who has bright red hair and arms bigger than my head leans down from his mountainous height and asks me what I'll have. Something from the tap sounds good; nothing too heavy. I need to be clear headed when I confront Mr. Jones. He slides the frosted mug to me, and my first drink is interrupted by a sudden loud cheer from the table behind me. I look over my shoulder, and I want to be annoyed by the four guys sitting in that familiar spot, but a sad smile comes to me instead. I take a sip from the foam, and my memories rush back to life.

* * *

_"Here's to Leo, who's finally done something with his life!"_

_Raph and Mikey join in my laughter while Leo shakes his head at my comment. Our mugs clink together and we take in a group swig, which afterwards Mikey entertains us with one of his famous belches._

_"Nice, Mikey." Raph grumbles into his beer. " Don't ever let anyone tell ya you don't have any class."_

_"So, Captain," I further poke at Leo and his newly appointed position. " Will we be expecting a raise anytime soon?"_

_Leo leans back into the cushy booth seat and smiles widely. " I've been Captain for five hours, and you're already asking for more money?"_

_"Hey, I gotta pay for these drinks somehow, right?" I joke again, and Leo places his hand to his face, trying to block out the laughter that pours from his mouth. Our waitress then returns, and I can't help but stare at her as she shifts her weight to one side, sticking out of those slender, long legs. She flips her long red hair over her left shoulder, that gorgeous smile returning. I lift my mug to my face, trying to hide my eyes as they creep up along her curvy silhouette._

_"How is everything over here?" The low lighting above catches in her green eyes as she speaks. "You guys need anything else?"_

_"Nope. We're good!" Mikey answers for us. _

_"Okay, just let me know if you need something." Before she turns to leave, our eyes lock, and I swear that was a small wink that just escaped from those twinkling emeralds. I watch her walk away, and apparently I wasn't the only one._

_"Forget it, Donnie," Raphael's voice pulls me back. "She is way outta yer league."_

_I turn to him and glare as he finishes his beer. "What's that supposed to mean?"_

_"Exactly what it sounds like," He wipes the foam from his lips and points a finger at the redhead. "Besides, I'm good friends with her boyfriend, and I don't think he'd like it too well if he knew some mutant turtle was puttin' the moves on his lady."_

_I looked back just in time to see Raph's friend in question pull the redhead into his arms and deeply kiss her. Raph leaned in closer, and I could almost feel the wicked smile that spread on his face._

_"I'd just back off if I were you."

* * *

_

The college kids behind me roared again, zapping me out of my daydream, and my sadden eyes went down into my nearly flat beer. I know I should have listened to Raph, but the temptation was just too strong. I went back a week after that, alone. April and I had a few causal drinks, a causal conversation. Then we causally went back to my apartment and began what later became a year long affair, something that I knew I should have stopped before it started. Casey had known about us for some time, but only waited until Leo was gone and I was out of the hospital before coming after me, ambushing me in my apartment and beating me senseless while April watched helplessly. To this day, I still don't know how Casey found out. We never told anyone, but around here, someone is always watching.

I gulp down the rest of the flatten molten hops and wipe my mouth with the sleeve of my coat. Another nicotine craving is sneaking up on me, and as I reach down to grab the pack of smokes out of my pocket, my eyes catch a flash of black hair. I turn with a sharp jerk, and I find a pair of ice cold blue eyes staring right back at me from across the crowded pub. And in the next moment, I don't even remember jumping out of my seat. I just found myself pushing my way through the herd of partygoers as Casey took off toward the back door, shoving people to the ground as he went by them. He slammed into the door, crushing the lock in one sweep of his muscular shoulder, and raced down the darkened alley.

Fine, if this asshole wants to play chase, I'm game.

I flew into the alley, pushing myself beyond the limits of my thirty-three year old body, cursing myself for smoking so much and letting my abdomen go to hell. The adrenaline rush of a wild police chase was actually something I had missed. Most of my preps on the beat are usually too stoned to run, giving up after five steps and are barely able to lift their hands as I cuff them.

The rain smacked into my cheeks as I turned onto Henderson Street and followed Casey down 16th, the lightening blinding my sight as we headed down another alley, scaring a group of street people as we crashed through their campsite. He took another sharp turn, and I tried to follow suit, but instead found myself skidding across the pavement and landing hard on the cement. Damn pansy-ass Oxfords. Going barefoot would be better than these things!

I shake off the fall, growling under my breath about the pain radiating through my ribs, and climb to my feet. That fall defiantly cost me the range I had on Casey, and seeing how he's in better shape than I am, he might have gotten away. But here is where _my_ advantage comes in. Casey's not exactly the smartest apple in the barrel, and that street he just turned down, it's a dead end. Yep, sealed off with a ten foot brick wall and everything. I brush the mud from my coat and my brown slacks, taking my time in my grooming. There's no way to get around that wall, and he'd run right into me if he decided to back track.

It should be against the law for me to feel so smug as I do right now.

I peek around the corner and watch with a laugh as Casey tries to climb the wall in his broken-down tennis shoes. He does get up about halfway before the rain catches his feet and he slides back down, his cursing echoing up into the night sky as he lands on his butt. This scene is very amusing, but I've got work to do, and I have to do it carefully. Casey's temper, like Raph's, is not to be reckoned with.

Casey must have heard me move closer to him because he suddenly turns around, his blue eyes glaring like a rabid dog about to get a bullet in the head. I hope that wasn't foam I just saw trickle down his chin.

"Get away from me, Donnie!" Casey screams. " I didn't tell them cops nothin', so beat it!"

"Whoa, Case, slow down." I put my hands up and soften my composure. " I just need to ask you a few questions, that's all."

"Fuck yer questions!" Casey spits through his teeth. "Everyone around you ends up dead, so back off!"

"Huh?" I guess I should say: 'What the fuck are you talking about?'

That's when I noticed Casey's eyes aren't watching me, but watching the rooftops and the windows above us. I shield my eyes from the rain as I also look up, curious to find what he thinks he's seeing.

"Donnie, you gotta listen ta me," His Brooklyn accent calms down, his eyes still glued to the sky. "I know we had some bad shit between us, and I'm sorry for that, but ya just gotta stay away from me. And ya better get outta here. Skip town or somethin'."

Again I pose the question:'What the _fuck _are you talking about?'

"Casey, what is going on?" I take another step closer and Casey begins to tremble, from _actual_ fear, something that I thought he didn't how to do.

"I can't say anything, Don! They'll kill me if I do!" He huddles closer to the wall, inching closer to the corner.

I take in a deep breath and close in on him, grabbing at his shoulders and holding on tightly. "Case, come on. Calm down! No one is going to kill you! Now tell me what's going on?"

Casey's frightened eyes stop on my face. "You think I had somethin' to do with Mikey gettin' all cut up, don't ya?"

"What- why-," Dammit Donatello! Stop stammering like the idiot you are and talk! "How did you know I was going to ask you about that?"

He then grabbed onto my coat sleeves and hung on for dear life. "You gotta believe me, Donnie! I didn't kill Mike! After ya left, I asked Mikey if he needed help closing shop, and he said he could do it, then I went home.Then April calls me, saying' Mikey never made it home. So I went back to the Diamond, and I found him, layin' there in his own blood!"

"Then why did you run away from me?"

Casey looked around again, and his deep voice lowered to a whisper. "Listen ta me, Donnie. There are some things goin' on around here, and ya just need to get outta here. If ya don't, you'll end up dead."

What the hell? I pulled back away from Casey and he huddles his knees to his chest, scared like a little girl who's seem a monster in her closet. That makes two enemies in one day that have warned me to watch myself. Maybe Raphael was right, maybe I really _don't _understand what's going on in this city. I place my hands back on Casey's trembling shoulders and continue with my Q&A, ignoring his darting, anxious eyes.

"Okay, Casey. If you just answer a few of my questions, I'll help you get away from whoever it is that's threatening you. Deal?"

Casey shook his wildly. "No way! It don't matter where I go! They always know where ya are!"

"Casey, come on!" I shake him, trying my hardest to keep my cool as his annoying behavior gets under my shell even more. "Who were those two goons that killed Mikey? I know you saw them! And why does everyone think that_ I_ was the one who did it?" I pulled Casey closer to my face and gave him the dirtiest look my humble face could muster. "If you don't start talking, I'll be the one to take you out!" I then stated to reach for my still warm revolver.

"Okay, okay!" Casey cried as he held up his hands in defense. " The guy that wants you dead sent those guys after you, and they payed us to keep our traps shut!"

"Us? Us who?" God, this was getting _really_ irritating! "And who is this guy that everyone is talking about?"

"Me, and-and," I knew that Casey didn't tell me who his accomplice was, but after I shoved the hot barrel of my gun into his pretty face, he quickly changed his mind.

"It was Raph! They paid us both to make it seem like it was some accident!"

Just the mention of my so called brother's name made my gun clatter to the pavement. Raph? There's no way Raphael would be that evil as to help plot my death. My anger was slowly getting the best of me, and it took all I had to stop myself from kicking the shit out of Casey.

"Mikey wasn't supposed ta die, Donnie," Casey knew he had shamed himself, and he hung his head low, the rain dripping off on his long hair. "Leo wasn't supposed ta die either. It wasn't supposed ta happen like that."

That's it! I don't want to hear anymore! I sprung at Casey and jerked him to his feet, sending a hard hitting punch into his cheekbone. He crumbled into a ball at my feet and whimpered as the blood ran out of his mouth. I grabbed him again, ready to throw another one, but the plea in his blue eyes made me stop.

"Why, Casey?" I asked as I held my stern expression. "Is this still because of April? Are you still out for blood because I took her away from you? Is that why you want me dead? And what does all of this crazy shit have to do with Leo? Tell me! Now!"

Casey slowly shook his head. "It's not us that want ya dead, Donnie. It's the-,"

My ears then picked up a shrill whistle as it ripped through the rain. The source of the sound slammed into Casey's back so hard that it almost sent both of us to the ground. Casey convulsed in my hands, a pool of blood seeping down the front of his shirt, and he fell limp. I looked down at the blood and noticed the pointed end of a dagger, sticking out from the middle of his rib cage. I dropped Casey's lifeless body down to the ground and backed out of the alley, my senses on full alert as I looked through the rain to the rooftops above.

So, I've now got two dead bodies, a traitor brother, a mystery man with tons of money that wants me dead, and a million more questions that have no answers. And as I stand here in the cold rain, my eyes jumping between the sky and the weird looking dagger in Casey's back, I can't help but wonder:

What kind of deep shit have you gotten yourself into _this_ time, Donatello?


	6. Chapter Six: Confessions Abound

Chapter Six

At times like this I wish Leo was still here. He was always the one with the ideas, the plans, the bravery to carry them out. I open my eyes to his headstone again, feeling the misty rain hit my bald head as I hold my hat in my hands. I read the engraving on the granite, as I do every time I come to visit.

_He Who Sows Virtue Reaps Honor_

I can't help but smile as I study the inscription. That quote was something my partner lived his life by, and it was uncommon for Leonardo to not repeat that saying at least once a day. He found the quote years ago in a Renaissance art book, the same one that held our namesakes, and of course the quote was said by Leonardo Da Vinci. Even though Leo was only four, and the people at the orphanage were just starting to teach us how to read, he remembered that saying, and it became the driving force behind him as he matured.

When Leo and I were reunited years later when I became a cop, I could tell his upbringing in a Japanese household had further expanded the whole honor thing. He had copies of some samurai code book scattered between his apartment, his car, and even tucked away in the back of the top drawer in his desk at the station. He was morally right and honor bound, and if I may compare, his police work for the citizens of Manhattan was exactly like an ancient Samurai warrior protecting his master.His virtuewas deeply sowed into the people he protected.

I sat down on the soaked ground, not caring about the rain water that went through my pants, and I bowed my head to the headstone.

"Hey, Leo," I said, my eyes studying the blades of grass around the base of the stone."Yeah, I'm back to bug you again." I laughed weakly, wondering what someone might think if they passed by and saw me talking to a headstone. " I just...shit, I don't even know where to begin with all of the madness that's going on!"

I lift my eyes to his name and sighed. "Things were so much easier when you were around, Leo. I wish you were still here." I reached out to brush my two fingers across the stone, but stopped as the noisy crunch of gravel scared me to my feet.

"Hey, Donnie! Good night for visitin' dead relatives, huh?"

Oh joy, the last person on earth I wanted to see at the moment is here! I held my ground as Raphael staggered up the hillside, a bottle of unmarked liquor dangling from his thick fingers, his drunken breath precedinghim as he approached me.

"Yep, good night," He looked up through the mist and swayed as he inhaled a big drink.

"I was down there talkin' ta Mikey and our dad. Good place ta clear your head, huh, Donnie?"

I said nothing in return, just watched as he took in another drink from the clear bottle then held it up to me, his brows arching as if asking me if I wanted some. I think Raph's had enough for both of us.

"No, thanks," I push the bottle back and he shrugged his shoulders.

"Your loss." He then stumbled over to Leonardo's grave and looked down at the granite stone. I wasn't worried about him standing there, looking over the grave of the brother who he had envied for so long, that is, until he began to laugh like a madman.

"Shit, Leo," Raph cackled. "If only you could see what I've done around here. I'm rulin' this town with an iron fist and a huge bank account, bro! I've made it everythin' you always hated!"

I then watched with a gaze of shock in my eyes and a slacked jaw as Raph overturned his bottle and dumped half of the contents onto Leo's grave.

"I know ya weren't much of a drinker, Leo, but you gotta celebrate somehow!" Raph's laughter reached an unnatural pitch. "Here's ta your fuckin' honor!"

"Raphael!" I yelled as I shoved him away, feeling pleased that he landed clumsily on the ground. "Have some respect, you drunken jerk!"

Raph moaned a few times as he sat back up, swinging his head around as he looked for his bottle, which had cracked on another headstone during the fall. He looked back at me, the heat of his fiery stare burning through my body, and I prepared myself for a fight. But I think I might have prepared myself for the wrong thing.

"Oh, god, Donnie," Raph pushed his palms into his face, trying to hide the river of tears that had began to flow down his face. "I've screwed up! Everythin' is goin' ta Hell around here!"

Okay, now I'm confused, and I don't know what's worse: a drunken rage Raph or a drunken sobbing Raph. I was further confused as Raphael crawled across the gravel and grass on his hands and knees, in a thousand dollar silk suit, no less, and wrapped his arms around Leo's grave. His red silk tie soaked up the puddles of liquor as he pressed himself closer to the coldstone.

"I'm so sorry, bro," He whispered, but loud enough for me to hear him, which I don't think he knew I could."I'm sorry for screwin' ya over. I didn't mean for things ta turn out like they did. Ya wasn't supposed ta die."

I growled loudly at Raphael's drunken babble and I pulled him away, but soon found he was clinging to me and soaking my already wet shoulder with his tears.

"You gotta believe me, Donnie! I didn't want Leo ta die!"

"Get offa me!" I screamed as I pushed Raph back down to the ground, only to grab the folds in his black coat and bring him back up to my face. "Listen, I've had enough weird shit happen to me tonight, and I really don't need to hear you sobbing out gibberish!" I threw him back down to the ground and watched him curl up and continue crying out things about Leo. I wanted to turn around and walk away. I wanted to forget I ever saw the bastard. But there was something standing in my way of doing so, and the pain in my heart was telling me to stay there and help Raph. I glanced back at Leo's grave and sighed. Thanks, Leo! You just had to step in and push us together again, didn't you?

I pulled Raph back up to his feet and helped him over to a stone bench that sat under two large maple trees, giving him the white handkerchief out of my back pocket so he could clean up his wet face. I crossed my arms over my chest and held my eyes to him, hoping that he could feel the hate I was casting upon him. Raph locked his eyes into mine, and for a moment, nothing was said between us. Raph was the first to break the silence.

"Casey's dead," He muttered.

I nodded. "I know. And I also know that the two of you were part of some conspiracy to put me out of commission."

Raph's expression didn't change like I expected it to. He only moved his eyes back to Leonardo's grave and sighed. "Everythin' is so messed up, Donnie. I never meant for things to go so far."

"As I've heard you repeat for the last ten minutes," And I'm beginning to lose my patience again.Didn't think I had much left after the night I've had. "Why don't you start explaining to me what actually _was_ supposed to happen?"

Raph blinked, then looked at me. "Do you remember years ago when me and Leo used ta have those stupid little contests ta see who was the better turtle?"

I nodded silently. Yeah, I remember. Back in the orphanage, before we were all adopted into different families, Leo and Raph were always trying to outdo each other. There was a playground behind the building, and every day those two would see who could swing the longest, or who could climb up the pole faster. Just stupid little things that kids do at that age. But I always knew that it was more serious for Raph than it was for Leo.

"I used ta get so mad when Leo rubbed that shit in my face back then. Smug bastard." Raph then laughed a little. I guess his memories were breaking through that drunken fog in his head. "But when I became a cop, he was so different. He wasn't smug anymore, and, well, ya know how hard he tried to make a decent cop outta me!"

"Get to the point, Raph." I sighed, not really wanting to go down that dark road called Memory Lane.

"My _point_ is that Leo grew up! He put all that silly shit behind him! And... I... never did." Raph wrapped the handkerchief aroundhis hands and pulled tightly. "And when he got bumped up to Captain, it pissed me off even more. I had worked my ass off for years and never got recognition for nothin'!"

"Raph, that's not-," I was cut short as Raph threw his tied hands in the air

"I know that's not what bein' a cop is all about, Don. But ya gotta understand somethin'. I was sick of bein' second best ta him. I wanted ta be up where he was. On top, and not havta answer to nobody ever again."

"So, what does this have to do with Leo's death?"

"Fuck, you're just as impatient as I am, Donnie! I'm gettin' there!" Raph smiled through his wet cheeks before he sighed and continued on. " About my third year in the force, I...kinda gotten myself into a little trouble-,"

"Gambling." I replied. The look of surprise I'd been looking for earlier was there finally. I guess he'd forgotten that I knew about it.

"Right," he nodded, almost acting embarrassed. " And since askin' my Dad for a loan was out of the question cause we were so poor, I found someone who could help me out. Someone who turned my life around and made me see what it was like ta really live on top!" Raph hopped to his feet and paced in front of me. "I got hooked inta this guy's fast paced lifestyle! Everythin' was there for the takin'! Money, cars, women, drugs! Everythin' that bein' just a beat cop couldn't get me." His pacing put him back in front of Leo's grave, and I eagerly joined him.

"But all of that fine shit came with a price, Donnie." Raph lowered his head, as I did before, and I watched his eyes scan over the bold inscription. "This guy works in a give-and-take relationshipYa take from him, ya have to give him somethin' back." Raphael turned to me, and I could tell he was forcing his eyes to stay bolted to mine. Whatever he was about to tell me, he wanted me to know it was all true.

"This guy, him and Leo had a past, and, even now, I still don't know what it was. But whatever happened between those two, he was still holdin' that grudge, and he wanted Leo dead."

"What?" I was almost speechless, and I took a step back. "Raph, you didn't-,"

"Now, listen Donnie," Raph grabbed my shoulders and held me from running away. "I may have hated Leo, but I could never kill 'em! He was my brother, for crying out loud! I told that guy to fuck himself, that I wouldn't stoop ta that level! But-," Raph's tears reappeared and he shook from the sobs. "He threatened ta _kill_ Mikey and our Dad if I didn't help him! Ya gotta understand, Donnie! I couldn't let him do that! Our Dad...well, you know how great he was! And I couldn't stand the thought of being without him or Mikey!"

"So, you agreed to kill Leo in exchange to save _your_ family?" I rubbed at the base of my neck, trying to sort all of this new information in my head.

"No."

"Huh?" I scrunched my eyebrows together. I'm feeling a tad bit dizzy here.

"I still said no, Don." Raph let go of me and looked back at the ground. "Why do ya think our father is down there?" I followed his extended finger down the hill to where two grave markers stood alone.

Raph was right, though. Their father really was a great man. His name was Hamato Yoshi, a Japanese immigrant that lived in Chinatown and owned a small gift shop that sold cards and various other homemade Japanese articles. I can still remember the day he had come to the orphanage, wanting to adopt all four of us, but he only had enough money to adopt one. He had chosen Leonardo at first, but Leo insisted that the old man take Mikey, who was the youngest and smallest, but defiantly the most lovable out of all of us. But as Mr. Yoshi drove away with Mike, we suddenly realized Raph had snuck into the old man's car. Me and Leo knew how much Raph wanted out, so we turned a blind eye to the situation, telling our care givers that Raphael ran away. And I guess Mr. Yoshi was happy with Raph too because he never called or came back to return him.

"Mikey was the one that found him. He was layin' in the middle of the store, gutted out like a turkey at Thanksgivin'."

"No need to elaborate on it, Raph." I held one hand to his face and the other to my turning stomach. " Me and Leo handled the case, remember? We ruled it out as a robbery attempt, not a murder."

"Well, it was, okay?" Raph growled at me. "My father was _murdered_! And after that, I had no choice but ta go along with Saki's plan."

Saki? No way. No _fucking _way! I grabbed Raphael's arm and squeezed hard, my puny and pathetic existence crashing down all around me.

"You joined up with Oruku Saki? You joined up with The Shredder?" I pushed Raph's arm and stomped a few feet away from him, refusing to face him. "Raph, of all the stupid, moronic things you could have done!"

"Look, I know I was stupid ta do it, okay?" Raph yelled at my back. "But I thought I could outsmart The Shredder! I was only gonna let him and his gang only go so far, then I was gonna show up with the rest of the force and take them all out! I didn't know Leo was gonna get all heroic and go into the warehouse by himself like he did!"

_No man suffers injustice without learning what justice really is._ Leo's words came back into my head as I pictured that look on his face as he dashed into the spray of bullets. I closed my eyes and my fists clenched tightly. Everything is still so blurry to me. Now that I know Leo's death was not an accident after all, the rage that I had held down for so long was coming back. Shredder is defiantly going to wish I really was dead after I get through with him. But first things first.

"Raph, I hate to do this," I grabbed for my cuffs, which I always carry in my coat pocket, and I turned around. "I'm going to have to put you under arrest for conspiring with a known felon."

"Don't worry about that, Donnie. I'm gonna take care of it myself."

I watched in horror as Raph pulled out a .45 and popped a bullet into the chamber, spinning it around before locking it into place. He placed the barrel to his temple and began to pull back the trigger.

"Raph, no!" I dropped the cuffs and moved closer to him, hoping I could distract him long enough to grab the gun away from him.

"What else can I do, Donnie?" Raph laughed again, the distant look in his eyes sending chills down my spine. "Do ya even know how I've been feelin' about this? How _guilty_ I feel? Leo's dead, my father's dead. And now...my _fucking_ baby brother is dead! Do ya think _you_ can live with that? That ya could live _knownin'_ that _you_ killed yer own family?"

"Raph, come on. It's not your fault. Don't blame yourself." Okay, I think I need to throw up now.

"Don't give me that 'It ain't yer fault' bullshit, Don!" Raph screamed into the night air. "I'm a fuckin' cop too, ya know! I've talked crazies outta suicides millions of times!"

He was right. How could I use that old line? He knew it all. Come on, Leo! I know you're here! Help me out!

My thoughts were broken by the click of the trigger, and my first reaction was to scream as Raph's brains splashed into my face. But there was nothing. No scream, no brains. I stared into Raph's blank expression, wondering what he was thinking in that moment. He pulled the gun down and stared at it, as if he didn't know what the gun was doing there in the first place. It was then I remembered his old revolver had six chambers. He had five more to go.

"Oh, no ya don't!" Raph shoved the gun back to his head and spit at Leo's grave. "Ya ain't tauntin' me, Leo! You know I deserve this!" He pulled the trigger. Again, nothing.

"Raph, this is stupid!" I sighed and held out my hand. "Just give me the gun and we can just forget about everything."

I suddenly felt the need to change my pants as the gun swung around to me and Raphael's breathing increased.

"Fuck that! I ain't goin' ta jail!" He smiled wickedly at me, but the gun in his shaking hand was more of a concern to me than his evil grin.

"No, Raph. I won't arrest you, okay?" I took a step back. Man, I need a cigarette! Maybe a strong drink would be better!

"Damn right ya won't!" He yelled at me. "I'm the Chief of Police! Nobody can take me down! I _own_ this fuckin' town and everyone in it!"

The gun clicked. Still nothing.

"Piece of shit!" Raphael turned the barrel back around, right to his face, and tried again. Another click, no bullet.

This was it, the last chamber, and if I don't think and act fast, one of us is going to end up joining the rest of our family tonight. And it sure as hell won't be me!

I lunged at Raph and was able to push the gun out of his hand. Raph responded back hitting the left side of my jaw with his fist and shoving his knee into my gut, knocking the wind out of me. I fell to the ground, but quickly yanked Raph's foot out from under him, and he fell right in front of me, the crack of his shell echoing across the cemetery. I jumped on him, hoping to hold down his arms, but he caught me with his feet instead and flipped me over onto my back. I gritted my teeth and bit back the pain, and watched helplessly as Raph stood up and limped to the gun.

"Ya know, Don, you shoulda listen ta me." He aimed the gun into my face, his smile returning. "I told ya there were things goin' on, and that ya needed to watch yer back."

"Just, please, tell me something, Raph," I said through my short breaths, the blackened inside of the revolver's barrel staring down at me.

"What?"

"Why me? What did I have to do with all of this?" Come on, Raph. You can tell me. You think I'll be dead in a few seconds anyway. What could it hurt?

His smile faded and his eyebrows narrowed. "I- I really couldn't tell ya, Donnie. The Shredder just wants ta tie up loose ends, I guess."

Loose ends, huh? And, what, pray tell, does that mean? And, I guess I'll never know. Raphael pulled the trigger and the blast from the gun was so earth shattering , I don't think he even knew what hit him.


	7. Chapter Seven: A Shadowed Past

Chapter Seven

Hospitals. They creep me out. Ever since the day I woke up in one of these places, I never wanted to come back. The lingering smell of death is everywhere.

I had push all of my memories of this place aside, not wanting to remember the chaos that went on here. All of those news reporters, shoving their pads of paper into my face, wanting a statement from me about my dead partner, none of them caring that I had just woken up from a stressed induced coma and learned of Leo's death only minutes before. Vicious pigs.

Just like the circus that came in here after word got out that Manhattan's Chief of Police was attacked and shot in Trinity Cemetery, and was saved by yours truly.

Well, okay, it was a slight stretch of the truth, but I don't think anyone would have believe a washed up cop like me if I had said Raphael tried to commit suicide, then tried to kill me in the process. That's another part of the dark side of life in the city. What the public doesn't know, won't hurt your reputation.

So, am I crazy for helping my brother after all that he has done to our family? Now that I think about, I probably am. But like I said before, Raph has a heart buried under all of that hardness, and I'm going to make him dig deep and use it.

One thing that still bothers me about all of this. What is this 'grudge', or whatever it is, that Shredder had against Leo. Of course only now I realize it was working both ways. Maybe Leo knew he was done for in the first place, and he figured he could hold his honor by charging into battle. Five years, is what he told me. Five years he had been waiting to take The Shredder down. But, why? And I as stare out over the city skyline from this dreary, thirteenth floor hospital room, a memory floats in from my subconscious, taking me back five years to when Leo's romance with revenge first began...

* * *

_I had just poured a steaming cup of coffee when the frosted glass office door flew open and slammed shut just as fast. I turned in time to see Leo fly past me in a furious rush, and begin to sling paperwork out of his neatly organized filing cabinets, mumbling incoherently under his breath. I calmly sat down, enjoying the bitter taste of the freeze dried grounds, not knowing if I should bother to ask my partner what was going on. When Leo gets like that, something is not right in the world, and it's usually best to let him sort it all out._

_He finally finds what he's looking for and shoves the drawer back into the cabinet, causing the drywall behind it to crack from the force_._ Leo moves back to his desk and slams the tightly packed manilla folder down, then plops down behind it, not caring that his little earthquake just caused me to dump half of the hot contents from my mug into my lap. I hold back my squeal of pain_ _and push my chair away from the desk, giving Leo more room to shuffle his little ball of chaos around._

_My curiosity_ _grows at a fast pace as I watch Leo lift paper after paper, skimming over them, then discarding them to the floor like falling snow. The age lines on his face become more apparent as his brow narrows. I've never seem him this upset about anything before. I lean over and read the label marker on the folder._

_"The Foot?" I say out loud, not meaning to, but it slips. " What are you doing with those old case files?"_

_Leo freezes in place, then looks at me through the tops of his eyes. No, not looks, glares. _

_"Sorry." I shrink back down into my seat and away from Leo's cold stare. I should have known better than to interrupt his concentration_. _So, I keep the rest of my thoughts to myself._

_The Foot, the biggest and scariest mob this side of Jersey. Why would Leo suddenly be so interested in them? The cops can't touch them! The Feds have been trying for years to get a hold of them! And Leo was the one who told me he would never take the case. So, why now, Leo? What's going on?_

_I hear a loud sigh from across the desk, and I looked back at Leo. His posture has gone from tight and tense to tense and more tense, with a hint of blind fury mixed in for good measure. He leans back into his brown leather chair, streaming his brown eyes over the single piece of paper in his right hand, his left hand busy massaging his forehead. I still don't know what to say. I'm almost afraid to breath in here. The fury in his eyes suddenly melts away, falling down his light-green face in the form of a tear. The sadness that replaces it shoots out and hits me, and it took a lot for me not to cry along with him._

_"Then, it's true," Leo whispers to himself. I guess he forgot I was in here with him. He continues to stare into the paper in his hand as more tears fall down his face. It hurts me to see this guy, my brother, so worked up like this. He's always been so strong. Come to think of it, I don't think I've ever seen him cry!_

_"Don?"_

_I circle my eyes around the room, hoping that he didn't notice I was staring at him._

_"Yeah?"_

_"Did I ever tell you about my family?" I notice he never even lifted his head up. _

_"A little." I reply, my throat feeling a bit dry all of the sudden._

_Leo sighed again and this time turned his wet eyes to me, feeling no shame about his emotions. " I thought I was the luckiest kid in the world to get those people. My mother, was just- just so kind and beautiful. And my father-."_

_Leo paused for a long time. I could tell his heart and his head were fighting over the right words to say._

_"I thought my father was the bravest, strongest, smartest person that ever walked the earth. He was such a great guy. He would do anything in the world for you." His eyes drifted back down to the desk and he stared into nothingness as he spoke more._

_"When you're a kid, you think everything is right with the world. You have great parents who love you and take care of you, and you never question anything. It's only when you grow up and realized how cruel the world really is, that you wonder why your parents ever bothered trying to protect you from things."_

_We locked eyes again, and I knew I could see a new hardness forming inside of Leo, and from that point on, I knew he was never going to be the same.

* * *

_

The beeping of the heart monitor brought me back to reality, and I turned my attention away from the window. My thoughts of Leo were pushed aside as I watched Raph's face twist in his drugged out sleep. It was a strange thing for me to see him laying there, helplessly plugged into three IV tubes. You know, if it wasn't for the slight difference in our skin tones, I swear it was as if I was seeing myself in that bed.

A shiver went through me, shaking me slightly, and also irritating the injuries that Raph had inflected upon me. I forced myself to slide back down into the uncomfortable maroon chair next to Raph's bed. I don't think I'll have to worry about falling asleep in this thing. It's worse than the crappy mattress in my apartment.

After getting somewhat situated, I glue my eyes to my sleeping brother, wishing and cursing him to hurry and wake up. I'm sure he'll be in a lot of pain, but at least he'll be sober, which for me means a slightly more intelligent conversation this time around. You know, as I watch him, I almost, repeat, _almost_, feel sorry for him. I know how bad him and Mikey had it growing up, how they had no money while me and Leo grew up without having to worry were our next meal was coming from. I also know that Raphael spent a lot of his teen years skipping school, getting into fights, and making his dad a worrying wreck of a man. And that Raph earned cash on the side by selling drugs around his neighborhood, and he admits it. At least he was smart enough not to touch them. I'll give him that.

Maybe that's why he was drawn into the Shredder's lifestyle in the first place. Shredder has money coming out of his ass, which of course is from his many drug and weapon smuggling rings. He gave Raph the life he also wanted, the life that Leo always had. It's sad that he had to pay a big price for all of it, though. I want to be angry with him, but at the same time, he's the only brother I have left. I need him now more than ever.

The bed in front of me shook a little, and a loud moan escaped from Raphael's lips. I stood up and went to his side, giving him a small smile as he looked up at me.

"Don-Donnie, where-," He moaned again from the pain. "What happened?"He lifted his head up and looked around. "Hey, what the hell am I doin' in here?"

I jumped back when his eyes returned to me, his index finger wanting to burrow a hole into my face.

"You! I fuckin' shot ya! You're supposed ta be dead!" Another moan escape, and he quickly discovered the source. "What the fuck did ya do ta my leg?"

I clenched my teeth together, but only to hold back the highly inappropriate laughter in my throat. "Yeah, see, the thing is, _you_ were the one that was shot."

"What?" Raph bolted upright, almost ripping the IV's out of his arms. "That's crazy! I had ya on the ground! I pulled the trigger! I _heard_ the fuckin' gun go off!"

I can't help it. This is just too funny! I let a small giggle escape, and I sit back down.

"Raph, when I jumped at you and knock the gun out of your hand, I hit the safety lock on it. When you went to pull the trigger, I pulled out my gun and fired at you, to make you think that _you_ hit _me_." I pointed at the large amount of gauze that was wrapped around his upper thigh. " I hit you down there, just enough to stun you. But, apparently you can't handle the sight of your own blood, and you passed out on me."

I just wish I had a camera or something to capture the dumbfounded look on Raph's face right now! Priceless! I let a mischievous grin grow, and after a few seconds, Raph starts to laugh along with me.

"Man, Donnie. You are one clever son of a bitch, ya know that?"

I shrug my shoulders and pretend to be modest about it. "So I've been told."

Raph slowed his laughter down, then hung his head. "Look Don, about what happened, I just-,"

"No, Raph, don't." I held up my hands to stop him. " There's no need to apologize. I've been thinking a lot about our situations, and how we're linked together in the whole mess, and I think it's best if we put all of that stuff aside and focus our energy on finding the Shredder."

Wow, did that just come out of _my_ mouth? What happened to the long, angry speech I'm been waiting to give to him for the past four hours? I think Raph's a little surprised by it too.

"Ya know, for a moment there, ya sounded just like Leo." Raph's comment hit me really hard, and I totally agree with him. It only proves my theory about Leo shoving the two of us together like this.

"Okay, so, uh, where do we start?" Raph carefully pushes himself back and leans up higher on his pillows. " Shredder is impossible to track down! And plus he pays off every guy he deals with." Raph then frowns. "How do ya think I got so much dough?"

"It can't be that hard to find him." I said, trying to keep an optimistic look on things. "Leo was able to do it. How hard can it be for us?"

Raph crossed his arms over his chest. "Oh, yeah. I forgot. Maybe we can do it in four years instead of _five_!"

And there it goes, shot down in a blaze of glory by Raphael's sunny sarcasm.

I sigh and scratch at my head. "There has to be some way we can get to him. Is there anyone you know? Any, like, henchmen or something?"

"Well," Raph wrinkled his forehead. "He's got this guy who a firearm and bomb expert. Calls himself the Rat King."

"The _what_?" What is with these gangsters and their idiotic nicknames?

"Yeah, it's stupid, I know," Raph shook his head. " The guy is mental, by the way. Complete nutcase. But he knows his shit, and Shredder uses him a lot."

"Okay," I stand up and pace as my thoughts come together. "We have a way in. Now we need to find someone who can undercover for us and get this Rat King character to led us to Shredder."

" Who the hell would be stupid enough ta volunteer for that job?"

The door to the room opened slowly, letting in the warm rose scent that had held me to my knees all those years ago, and our lovely redheaded friend stepped into the room.

"Hey," April said softly, and I could tell she was trying to avoid making eye contact with Raph. " I'm glad you're awake. Do you need anything?"

There goes the little light bulb in my head!

"April!" I said as I moved closer to her. "We can use her!"

"No, no, no, no!" Raph shook his head and his hands. "They've all seen me with her. They know her face! It'd be like sendin' her ta die, Donnie! It won't work."

"Whoa, slow down there!" April eyed us both. " What are you guys talking about?"

I move around her and shut the door, then pull April closer to Raph's bed. I have a plan, and it's not going to be easy to carry out. Leo, if you're really out there somewhere, I hope you're looking down on us. We're going to need all the help we can get.


	8. Chapter Eight:Burdens To Bare

_Yeah, I'm finally back._ _My apologies for taking so long. I've been busy keeping up on my at-home college writing course. I almost forgot I had FF stories to finish! And the new season of the Turtles kicked off, and I've been watching the epsiodes from the latest DVD. Leonardo is really starting to scare me! And we all know it has to do with Karai. Can you smell the scent of new Leo/Karai angst stories in the works? I don't remember who it was, but there was a FF writer that wrote on her bio page something about how she hates it when people make Leo an emotionalpsycho in their stories. Well, honey, sorry to burst you bubble, but Leo has joined the Dark Side now, and I, for one, am loving it!HAHAHA! 0) (But whoever you are,I mean all of that in good fun, so don't get pissed!) Anyho, here's the latest chapter. Story is almost done. I need to go to bed now. It's one thirty in the morningand I'm just rambling on about nothing. Happy reading...zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz_

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Chapter Eight 

"I'm tellin' ya right now, this is _NOT_ gonna work!"

Oh, ye of little faith, Raphael. But as I watch April fluff up her hair and reapply that ghastly deep red lipstick, I'm starting to wonder...

"I look horrible!" April cries out as she motions downward with hands. Me and Raph both bring our eyes to the black and blue velvet corset and the leather mini skirt that is hung up on the fishnets under them. "I look like a hooker!"

"You're supposed to, remember?" I look around the corner, but no sign of our target yet. "Now, before he gets here, do you remember what our plan is?"

April blows her over-the-top bangs out of her eyes and glares at me. "You mean _your_ plan? I wasn't the one who wanted in on this!"

"Alright, fine! _My_ plan!" Calm it, Don. You don't want to lose your help now. Not when you're this close! "You remember what you're supposed to do, right?"

"Yes," April goes back to the handheld mirror in her hand and sighs. "I go into that nasty bar, get this Rat King guy to buy me a few drinks, and get him to take me to his place where I seduce him into submission."

"Right," I look back around the corner. Ah, crazy bomb guy at twelve o'clock! " Raph and I will follow you."

"Then it'll be _our_ turn ta seduce him into submission!" Raph laughs as he pounds his left fist into his right palm. I think, and this is just a theory, that Raph might be having just a _little_ too much fun with this. But that's just a theory.

"And if you run into trouble-,"

April throws her mirror back into her purse then shoves her hand into my face. "I can handle it myself, Donnie. You don't have to protect me."

Break my heart, why don't you? I know she's tough. I know Leo trained her well. I know she's fully capable of holding her own. But that doesn't stop that breaking heart of mine from wanting to be her shield. At least I know that I _would_ be. I can't say the same for Raph, who's jerking on her arm and talking so loud that he's scattering the rats in the alley.

" I mean it!" Raph pulls her again, making sure she's listening to him. " Don't fuck this up! And don't you dare even think about really sleepin' with this guy!"

Prick. I would love to just rip Raph's arm off of April and right out of its socket.

April grits her teeth and shoots daggers at Raph with her green eyes. "So, explain to me how it would be different from _you_ screwing your secretary on your desk in the middle of the _fucking_ day?"

Whoa, okay, I have no further need to listen to this conversation. I turned my attention back to the street in front of me, but as I shifted my line of sight, I locked my eyes with April's, and it seemed like I could feel every ounce of pain and sadness that she held within her. I shook it off quickly. I can't get sidetracked right now.

The Rat King. That name _still_ gets to me! Where the hell did he come up with that? I'll have to ask him later while I have his balls in a vise grip.

Quick scan of profile. He's about 5'9', 165 pounds, medium build. Short red hair, big, bulging eyes. Can't say much about his face, or his attire for that matter. A long sleeve green shirt, a baggy pair of gray, ripped pants, and a long, black trench coat that reaches his feet. And what is with the gauze wrapped around his hands and his knees? He looks like someone who just escaped from a mental hospital then went back to kill everyone just for some added fun! When Shredder picks them, he _really_ picks them!

The size of the crowd at The Dirt Barn seems about normal tonight. The regulars are all here. This place, despite it's assuming honky-tonk name, is actually anything but. All the area bikers and thieves come here, no cowboys allowed. Why the strange name, you may ask? Leo and I came to this place one night while we were tailing a drug dealer, and we were totally surprise by the raunchy atmosphere. The inside looks like one of those old country barns, hay and all, and in the center, where normal bars would hold a dance floor, was a fenced-in mud pit, where several women in revealing undergarments would wrestle each other to please the horny men around them. Leo was appalled, gave the orders to shut the place down, citing it was degrading to women. But it was only a week, _just a week_ after Leo passed that the owner opened the place back up. Leo's body wasn't even cold, and business carried on like nothing had happened!

It seems the more I think about things like this, the less I'm liking this city. Maybe I should reconsidered moving upstate.

Mr. King lights up a smoke then enters the building, nodding at the bouncer with a large, toothy grin. I turn back to April, but soon find she's already one step ahead of me, sashaying her way down 23rd in that tight corset. Is lusting for my former flame while she swings her curvy hips in a provocative manner considered getting sidetracked?

"Okay, Donnie," Raph jabs me in the side with his elbow, bringing me back to earth. "April's inside. Let's go."

"Right." We shuffle down the alley, then back up 24th . Slowly, I might add, but only I'm to blame for Raph's handicap. I cling tightly to the shadows, as Leo as taught me to do, and I notice Raph is just hanging out there for everyone to see.

"Raph! Move back!" I motion with my hand then pull him towards me. " You have to lay low! Everyone is going to see you!"

"Everyone? Like who?" He lifts a finger and points to the bikers standing outside the front door of the Dirt Barn. "All the drunks dancin' circles around themselves over there? Come on, Donnie! Ya need ta let go of all that Japanese ninja shit that Leo told ya about! This is fuckin' New York City! In _America_! How the hell is _any_ of that shit relevant here?"

"Hey, that _shit_ you're referring to helped Leo and I to keep thousands of criminals off of the streets!"

Raph jumped back an inch at the sudden anger in my voice, his eyes wide in surprise, and I have to admit, I was pretty shocked myself to hear the harsh tone I had just used. Of course that didn't stop me from spilling my guts out all over the wet ground.

"You know, I'm getting sick and tired of you thinking you're better than everyone else! You're nothing but an arrogant, egotistical _asshole_ who sits up on his pedestal and counts the money he made, _not_ from being the '_fuckin Chief of Police_', but from money laundering, drug dealing, and weapons smuggling!"

I had to keep myself from laughing out loud as Raph took another step back, hitting the wall behind him, and the shock grew in his brown eyes.

"Yeah, you didn't think I knew about all of that, huh?" I stepped up into his face. "You thought I wouldn't understand all of it?"

"Donnie, listen, I-I mean, I can explain-,"

I squeezed my fingertips into his shoulders and held him tightly against the wall. "Explain what? I already know how crooked you are, Raph. This town has gone to Hell because you would instead rather watch the people of this city fall under the control of the Foot than help them, like a _real_ cop would!"

Raph pulled on my hands, his fingers sliding on the rain soaked skin. He was starting to panic, the lines on his face twisted in fear. "Come on, Don. You don't think I would really do that-,"

"I _know_ you would, Raph. There's no thinking about it. You're so drunk on the power that you can't see what's actually going on around you! Oh and there's one more thing," I drew myself in closer, filling the space between his neck and shirt collar with my hot breath. "If I ever see you push April around like that again, you're going to regret ever hatching! Got it?"

I didn't wait for an answer. I just released Raph with a little shove and let him fall to his knees, his eyes still wide and wondering why his soft spoken brother had just gone off on him. I do have to admit, I feel a little better. Beating Raph to a bloody pulp would have been more fulfilling, but I don't think it would have helped the situation much. At least he now knows who's _really_ in charge.

I turn back to the street entrance of the bar, just in time to see a very agitated April dragging out a _very_ wasted bandaged bomb expert, his hands finding a cozy spot right below the line of her skirt. A low growl erupts from my throat, unexpectedly, I might add, and I hear Raph move back up to his feet. He uses the brick wall for support, then brushes the mud from his coat and pants. The tension is very thick in the air at the moment, and I'm starting to believe that maybe standing up for myself might have just given Raph the chance to beat my shell in. He moves beside of me, and we make eye contact, and from the look he gives me, I think we've agreed to keep things between us on hold while we go after April.

After tailing the two of them for about ten blocks, Mr. King pulls April into an apartment building, but it's nothing like the ones I was in earlier. The whole neighborhood is cleaner, no druggies, no hookers. There's even a doorman, who seems a little too anxious to open the frosted glass doors for the weapons expert and his lovely escort. The kid must work for tips or something.

Raph starts to move out of the alley, but I quickly pull him back and point to the back of the building. After a hasty look around, we dash around and find a hiding spot just under the fire escape.

"How are we gonna know which apartment is his?" Raph asks without looking at me, his gaze going skyward.

"April is supposed to signal us from a window," I also look up, straining my neck around.

Another uncomfortable silence erupts between us, but I pay no attention to it. I'm still pissed, and if I would even attempt in conversing with him, I'd probably end up kicking the crap out of him, or, vice versa. I'm still debating on whether or not I should arrest him after all of this is over. Maybe make him leave the country. Anywhere that he's not around me. He may be the only brother I have left, but it still doesn't make up for the fact that his hands were washed in Leo and Mikey's blood. Just thinking about all of that again makes me want to shot him in the leg again.

"What's so funny?"

I suddenly realize I had just laughed out loud from my inner thoughts and I try to cover it up with a cough. I shake my head, hoping Raph thinks I had swallowed a bug and it went down the wrong way. But, from the arched eye ridge, I don't think he's buying it. He grunts at me, then looks away, leaving me to feel like the huge idiot I am. I sigh heavily and put myself back into detective mode, but then something happens that I would have never expected in a dozen lifetimes.

Raph starts to _apologize_ to me.

"Donnie, look, I, uh," Raph scratches at his green bald head, keeping his eyes away from mine. " I'm sorry about what I said before, about that ninja stuff." His shoulders shrug and he gives out a small chuckle. " I, uh, actually thought it was neat when Leo showed us all that crap. I just wish I would've paid more attention ta it instead of actin' like I was too good for it."

"Okay..." What? I'm speechless! Seriously, I can't think of anything to say in response to that. But it seems Raph's just getting started.

"And, about April, I, uh," He pauses again. I can tell from his face he's trying to make sure he don't come out of this conversation looking like a big pansy ass. " We've been having, uh, 'problems', and yeah, I've been losin' my temper with her, but I'd never hurt her."

"And slapping her across the face doesn't count as that?" I interrupt him, scaring Raph from his train of thought.

"I was fucked up that night," he uses for an excuse. " That's how it's been every night since..."

I knew exactly what Raph was going to say: every night since Leo died. He's been drowning his guilt away in a pool of liquor, just like I've been doing with my sorrow. Funny how two turtles who are nothing alike can use the same crutch to forget someone.

"I still don't know why April hooked up with me," Raph continues. " I know she was all cryin' and shit after Casey found out about that affair you two had, and he beat the crud outta you-"

Need you remind me?

"And she just showed up at my apartment, saying she wanted to forget everythin'. Just get away for a while."

Alright, Raph. This is_ not_ making me like you, not that I ever did. I turn my head away, hoping Raph didn't see my eyes narrow.

"I'm sorry Donnie, but April was the one who came onta me, okay? I tried to push her away, but she kept cryin' and throwin' herself at me!"

I growled again, louder this time, and whipped my head back around. "I really don't care who came on to who, okay? The bottom line is you've got her now and even though you don't deserve someone like her, you better start treating her with more respect!"

Raph backs down, but speaks up again in a hushed tone. " Yer right. I don't deserve her. I don't think she even wants me anymore."

The more Raph talks, the quieter he gets, and it's starting to scare me. He then says something else that takes me by surprise.

"She talks about ya all the time, Donnie. She still cares about ya. I can tell from the way she looks at ya."

I open my mouth to respond, but nothing comes out. It's just too hard to believe. How could she still care about me? I have nothing. I'm a fucking beat cop, for crying out loud! I don't make hardly any money! I snubbed my adoptive parents' fortune upstate in favor of a cheap, roach infested apartment in the city! I don't own a car. I'm lucky if I get to eat once a day! I have nothing to offer her. I close my gapping jaw and sink down to the ground, holding my knees close to my chest, ignoring the plausibly fake look of sympathy I'm getting from Raphael. Like he really gives a shit.

"Hey! Guys! Up here!"

April's whispered voice travels down to us, and I scrambled to my feet, taking care not let my eyes linger on her heaving chest as it almost spills from that tight corset.

"Hurry up! He's in the bathroom!"

Raph is the first to jump to his feet, scaling the ladder like a hyperactive monkey, and waits for me to join him on the creaky, metal balcony before entering the apartment. But as I climb, I can't keep my eyes away from April's.

Or vice versa.

Raph pulls my hand as I reach the top and then follows behind me as the three of us enter the apartment. He gives out a long whistle, obviously impressed with the decor, as am I. The bedroom furniture is a dark cherry. The bed is accented with white and gold bed sheets, and mirrors cover the ceiling and two-halves of the walls. What is the deal with having _that_ many mirrors? This guys must be severely conceited.

"Man, is this guy conceited or what?" Raph responds to the decor as he looks around, sneering at me as I pull my coat off for April.

"Okay, I did my part. It's all up to you guys now." April grabs the coat without looking away from me and slides it on.

"That didn't take very long ta juice him up," Raphael comments, his tongue on the verge of making a smart remark. "Ya musta made him really horny in that outfit."

That was a little too close, but April takes in all in stride. "Too bad I'll never wear it for you. And it wasn't because of me-," She extends her arm towards a small glass table in the corner, and it wouldn't have taken a cop to know what those lines of white powder were.

Just then, the bathroom door swings open, and those creepy bulging eyes grew even wider as The Rat King steps out in a pair of white boxers.

"You!" His raspy, snake-like voice calls out as he points his finger toward me, or towards Raph. Either way, I don't think he's very happy to see either one of us, nor does he explain himself. As quick as lightening flash, Mr. King pulls out this giant hand cannon out of the bathroom, (technically it's a Bushmaster E2S semi-automatic, but that doesn't stop it from scaring the Hell out of me!), and begins to unload two hundred rounds at us. April screams as I shove her through the open bedroom door, then join Raph behind the bed. The bullets fly everywhere, blasting enormous holes into the walls and causing large shards of glass to come crashing down on us. Raph begins to reach for his pistol, but I stop him with a slap on his hand.

"Do you really think that's going to take him out?" I scream over the loud blasts and the high pitched psychotic laughter that accompanies it. "This guy is a _weapons_ expert, remember? He's gotta have a freaking arsenal hidden around here!"

Raph lowers his hand, ducking quick as a bullet ricochets off the bedpost above him. "Well, what are we supposed ta do then, smart guy? Ask him nicely ta stop?"

I smile smugly at Raph's comment, which I should have responded to with a punch across his smart mouth, then begin to let the wheels in my head grind for an answer, and I always start my plans with the same first thought: What would Leo do in a situation like this? My eyes drift upwards, almost scaring myself as my eyes look back at me from the ceiling. Wait, the mirrors! I think that imaginary light bulb just lit up over my head!

"Come out, little turtles," Mr. King coaxed us in a taunting sing-song pitch, his snake tongue lingering on the 'S'. I heard the clatter on the gun as it hit the floor, but held my breath as I hear two clicks this time instead of one. Great, he's doubly armed now. That makes things _so_ much easier...yeah, right.

"Raph, I need you stall him," I whisper, and I'm greeted with narrowed brow and a dropped jaw.

"Are ya crazy?" He whispered back in a panicked tone. "You must really want me dead, don't ya?"

"He knows you! Just make conversation with him! Just be ready to shove the bed at him when I say so!" I force Raph to his feet, and I could see his body go rigid as he was welcomed by a set of twin Colts. I remove my shoes, spin around, lay back on my shell, and pressed my four toes firmly against the heavy bed frame. I just hope my leg muscles can hold out.

"Hey, uh, how ya doin'?" I hear Raph say. "Nice weather we've been havin', huh? Raining all the time now. Sucks, doesn't it?"

Rat Boy doesn't say anything, the shuffling of feet telling me he just moved a step closer. Raph gets stiffer and the fear in his voice becomes more apparent.

"So, uh, have ya talk to the Big Man lately? I, uh, heard his old lady was leavin' him." Raph glances at me out of the corner of his eye, but I wave him off. "Guess he was screwin' around on her, huh?"

"Why are you making pointless comments to me, Raphael?" Mr. King hisses. "I can't stand you. Never could. You were always just like a tapeworm, feeding off of others, just waiting for someone to shit you out so you could find another asshole to crawl into."

Ewww! I stick out my tongue in disgust as I try to block out the vision of a worm with Raph's head that's floating around in my brain. Only someone as crazy as he is would think of something that gross!

" Yeah, well, at least I didn't break into the 15th street morgue and fuck the dead bodies in there!"

Okay, maybe I was mistaken. I hear a few more footsteps through the carpeting, and I bend my neck around to look under the bed. Just a few more inches, that's all I need!

"A strange thing about fucking the living compared to the dead," King continues. "The dead doesn't talk back. Your lady friend is a little too mouthy for me. I guess it was a good thing you showed up. I was about to slap a pillow across her face and push out that pesky life force."

Raph then looks down at me. Evidently I growl louder than I think I do, but it's okay. Mr. King takes a few mores steps forward, and a smile grows on my face.

"NOW!" I scream, pushing with every ounce of strength I could muster up while Raph bends down and pushes with his shoulders. The heavy bed frame flies across the carpet and hits the Rat King in the abdomen before he could even realize what has happened, his guns dropping to his feet. I then flip my legs over my head to regain my footing, and shot myself up, locking my fingers between the ceiling and the rim of the mirror. I pull down on it a few times and after I feel it breaking away from the bolts, I bring it back down with me to the bed, letting go just as it collapses down on Mr. King's head.

And after the loud echoing of the shattering glass fades, Mr. King stands in an awkward position. His toes turned inward, his knees squeezed together. His hands are clenching his aching gut, and his head is leaning to one side, those bulging eyes locked in a state of emptiness, glaring right at me.

"What the Hell, Donnie?" Raph whispers, pointing to the shards of glass that are embedded in various regions of Mr. King's upper body. "Was knockin' the wind outta him not enough for ya?"

I jump down, trying not to look at the streams of blood that begin to run down. "Well, it seemed like a good idea at the time. I don't think I took in account the size of the mirror." I move closer to the stunned man and waved my hand in front of his face. Did I kill him? He's not moving. I just meant to stun him a little, not kill him. Don't dead people usually fall over when they die? I get my answer as I see his chest rising in shallows breaths. I exhale the air I was holding, almost feeling a tad bit grateful this freak was still alive.

But my gratefulness evaporates rapidly as I watch April stumble through the doorway and point, her eyes telling me that I shouldn't have moved so close to this guy.

I turn back around to find those bugling eyes looking up at me, and the sinful grin that complements the stare sends chills down my spine.

"Oh, you believe yourself to be so clever," he hissed at me. "But not even you can stop what was set into motion years ago."

"What?"

That is all I am able to get out before Mr. King lunges at me and slams me into the wall, his thick, pointy fingernails digging into my neck as he chokes me, forcing his body weight down on me through his thumbs and into my airway. My natural animal instinct stirs and I begin to fight him off, but like a bad case of karma, the years of smoking comes back to haunt me, and the world around me grows black as my windpipe closes. Raph's shouts and April's screams fade in the darkness, and I feel my eyelids growing heavy. It's almost like that moment before you fall asleep I mentioned before. Your body feels like it's floating on some astral plane between here and the next world, and you can see things so much clearer from here. What can I see in this moment of nirvana? Leo, my partner, my brother, holding a dagger in his hand. A strange sight. But as the vision becomes more vivid as I slip away, I realize the dagger is just like the one that killed Casey. A bright light reflects off of the knifes' shiny exterior, and Leo mutters something in a deafening silence that only I can hear.

_Listen._

I suddenly snap back into the trashed apartment and stare back at the crazy lunatic that's trying to kill me. I tune out the noise, and focus on the stillness outside. In the distance, a sharp whistle cuts through the falling rain as it sails toward the open balcony doors. I grab The Rat King by the shoulders and spin him around, just as the sharp end of a crooked dagger penetrates his back and stops, just barely ripping at the middle button of my favorite purple dress shirt.

Moving upstate is looking better all the time.


	9. Chapter Nine:Gunning Down Romance

_I'm still laughing over the last review I got from **somellamafreak**! **WHOA!** That just made my day! Thank you! Even the smallest comment can make a BIG impression. Well, I've got one more chapter to go. Happy reading!_

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Chapter Nine 

I don't think I remember a more crazier night, and now that the sun is starting to peak through the skyscrapers of the Manhattan skyline, I have a feeling the craziness is going to carry on into the day. And how I could be so lucky as to escape death _three_ times in the past 48 hours is beyond me, but it only leaves a dead body in my place each time, so it's not exactly a win-win situation here. I do know one thing, whoever that idiot was who threw that dagger and ripped the button off of my shirt is going to _pay!_

Yeah, I know, it's just a shirt, but... it's my _favorite one_!

It's nice to be back in the sanctity of my own domain again, even if it does smell like old sweat socks. My personal space is also kind of crowded at the moment. Raphael is slumped backwards in my old armchair in my sitting area, snoring up a storm, and April is sleeping peacefully in my bed. Both of them refused to go to their own places, I guess out of fear of the Foot attacking them, so, like the nice guy I am, I offered my place, to which I received no hesitation.

Another earth-shaking snore from Raph breaks my concentration and I jam the needle deep into my finger. A few choice words fall from my mouth as a bubble of blood spurts up, and I move it quickly away from my shirt. It's bad enough I can't sew a button back on worth a shit, but I don't need to add blood stains to it. A quick trip to the bathroom for a band-aid, and maybe a stop at my desk for a little sunrise drink. I think a cigarette is in order too. I haven't had one in about six hours, the longest I've ever gone without, and my shaking hands are a good sign of the nicotine withdrawal.

After I gather all of my 'supplies', I sit back down on the floor and return to my radio. My favorite jazz piece is on, and the temptation to turn the volume up is strong. I light my smoke, tap my feet together along with the slow tempo, and lean back against the wall under the windows. Through the thick fog of smoke, I watch the reds, pinks and purples of the rising sun come through the blinds and dance across the ceiling, and I feel a certain peace fall around me. It's nice. Too bad I couldn't stay like this, in this _exact_ moment, and have things be like this all the time.

Sleep is creeping up on me again, and I know that I should try to get a little rest, but my brain is just buzzing about what Raph told me. What _happened_ between the Shredder and Leo? It just doesn't make sense, not that anything in my life _ever_ did. But Leo would never get involved with someone as vile as Shredder. And this whole mess, it just seems so...

_But not even you can stop what was set into motion years ago_

I replay the last words The Rat King said to me before he was silenced. You know, it's starting to become annoying how I've been hearing this same shit over and over but never getting an explanation. Annoying, yeah, _that's_ what this whole mess has become! Annoying, like the symphony coming from my sitting area. Really, Raph, get your adenoids checked out or something, for crying out loud!

So, _what_ was set in motion years ago? _What_ event took place that has snowballed into this chaotic nightmare that's going on around me? _What_ were you hiding from me, Leo? What could have happened that made you so hellbent on going after Shredder? Come on, Leo! _Tell me what_ _is going on! _

My eyes break away from the streaking rays of sunlight and drift down to the closet beside my bed, and I get this strong urge to it. I straighten myself up, tiptoeing around the bed so not to wake April, and slowly pull the door open. It creaks in protest, but soon settles down, and I'm left standing there without a thought as to what I'm doing. What would Leo want to show me that's in here? All that's in this poor excuse for a closet is, well, my clothes. Seven shirts and four pairs of slacks to be exact, and of course my worn out trench coat, which has seen better days. The top shelf holds a few shoe boxes of photos and keepsakes, but other than that, there's nothing. I begin to shut the door when I realize I had forgotten one more item in my inventory: the large brown box that holds Leonardo's belongings.

I bend down and wipe away the thick layer of dust that covers the box, taking note of the mouse holes that have been chewed on the sides. That mouse better hope nothing inside is damaged. I'm still mad about my shirt, and I have a trap in my kitchen just waiting for that rodent. I scoot the box out carefully, then plop back down on the floor, but hesitate in opening it. The last time I look at Leo's things was when I packed this box. Besides Leo's mother, I was the only other person( turtle, whatever) to go into his apartment after he died and collect whatever I wanted to remember him by. And as I pull the flaps back, I try to remember exactly what it was I took.

Right on top was that samurai code book that he always carried around, its pages a little yellowed from the dampness of the closet. I pick it up gently and held in my hands, allowing my thumbs to caress over the ridges of the cover. Underneath that was his various notebooks: his journals, poetry, haiku, etc. Leo may have been tough, but his sensitive side also came out in one art form or another, and I never would have known this if I hadn't discovered this in his apartment. I guess he was afraid I would laugh at him, even though I never would have. Next was a Japanese wall hanging that Leo had made in high school, which was just a long piece of white cloth pulled between two bamboo sticks, and a few Japanese characters printed on it in black ink, and I didn't have to be a Japanese language scholar to know what it read:

_He Who Sows Virtue Reaps Honor_

A smile grows on my face as I pull the hanging out of the box and lay it on the notebooks beside of me. That's all from his apartment. The only things left are two manila folders from Leo's desk. I know one contains all of the information on the Foot that Leo kept hidden from the rest of the force, but the other, I have no clue what's in it. I was stashed away in his bottom drawer, under piles of papers, and I was lucky to see it before the cleaning lady tossed all of that paperwork away. I reach into the box and lift the folders up, but stop my lifting in midair. I can feel a pair of eyes on me, so I quickly turn to meet them.

"Did you not get any sleep?" April says softly. She's laying on her side, her arms folded under the pillow and her red hair flowing freely around her face. The rays of the sky catch the highlights in her hair, like the halo of an angel, and I'd be lying through my teeth if I said it didn't take my breath away. I feel the heat in my cheeks as I recount the mornings I woke to find that same sight next to me, and I quickly look away.

"I didn't wake you, did I?" I ask as I finish pulling the folders into my lap. I turn my head just slightly and watch April push herself up, the shoulder of my red, white and blue horizontal striped pajama top falling down her delicate shoulder.

"No, that vacuum cleaner sitting across the room did," April mumbles. "And he wonders why I won't stay the night with him." She stretches for a few seconds, then swings her long legs to the floor. I return back to the folders and pretend like I don't notice that she is taking a seat next to me on the floor. Pretend not to notice, _please_, could I _be_ anymore obvious?

"What is all of that?" April points to the stack on the other side of me, then covers a yawn with her hands.

"It's just some of Leo's things. I was hoping I could find something in here to help me out." I shrug my shoulders and open the mysterious folder, but I'm _really_ hoping I can keep my hormones in check. The things a girl can do to guy when she's wearing his pajama top and nothing underneath.

April watches me for a second, then reaches across my lap and grabs one of the notebooks. Our eyes meet as she pulls back, and she gives me just a hint of a smile. But it's enough to distract me from my mission and instead listen to her soft-as-silk voice as she reads aloud.

" '_A crane. Shading in the evening twilight. Trails its smoke-like wings.' _Wow!" She gasps with a surprise expression on her face. "That's beautiful. I never knew Leo was so artistic!" April scans a few pages, then picks out another one to read. _" '_ _Lotus leaves in the pond. Ride on water. Rain in June_.' These are just fantastic!"

"I bet it is, if you could understand it," I shake my head as she flips through more pages. "I've never understood haiku. It's just a bunch of jumbled words that are thrown together."

April gives me a no-nonsense look in response and begins to read another. " _'Petals of chrysanthemum_. _Curve in their whiteness. Under the moon.'"_

I drop the folder back into my lap and sigh. "Now explain to me what that means."

She smiles as she closes the notebook and holds it close to her chest. "You're the smartest guy I know and yet you can't see the romance and beauty in these poems."April shakes her head, still holding the smile on her face.

I wrinkle my forehead and return to the folder. Romance, one concept in life I never really 'got'. Leo was the hopeless romantic, the 'Romeo' type that would could charm the socks of a girl, but it was strange that he was never involved with anyone. His life was his work. Women and the trouble they bring were always the last thing on his mind. Me on the other hand, the idea of buying flowers, going out for expensive meals and watching the sun rise while making love on the hood of a car was way beyond my levels of thinking, and it's probably what drove me and April apart. She's likes to be wined and dined. Give me a bottle of Jack, a good book, and a jazz record, and I'm set for the night.

I suddenly notice the stillness around the apartment, and it was laying heavy between me and April. She still had her eyes glued on me, watching as I pretended to be reading the papers in front of me, even though the words looked like a jumbled mess as my subconscious mind was drawn elsewhere. I clear my throat, hoping to break her stare, but it doesn't work. I hope she's not in the mood for a chat about how she still has feelings for me, that she wants me back, and how much she wants to throw me down on that lumpy mattress and makeup for lost time.

"So, what are you trying to find, exactly?"

Okay, so maybe I was wrong. I told you I was a dreamer.

"Uh, well," I clear my throat again, trying to push the dirty images out of my head. "Raph told me that Leo had some kind of connection to the Shredder, and I was hoping that I would find in answer in here." I held the folder up, but kept my eyes to the paper. " But there's not much in here. School papers, drawings- just things from when he was a kid."

April hummed out a response and nodded. It grew quiet again, and the nervousness factor rose higher as my patience was wearing thinner. Dammit, woman! If you have something to say to me-

"Don, can I tell you something?"

Thank you! You don't know how much this has been killing me!

"Uh, sure." I calmly close the folder and lay it down in my lap. April sighs heavily, running her hand over the pieces of hair that has fallen in her eyes, then speaks.

"About what happened last night, between me and Raph, I-,"

What? No, no, no! That's not what you're supposed to say! Don't bring Raph into this! "It's alright. Whatever that was, it was between you and Raph."

April shakes her head at me and places her right hand on my shoulder. "I just wanted to say I'm sorry you had to witness that. We've been having a lot of...problems, and we had no right to say things in front of you."

I give up! My fantasy is ruined! All I'm doing now is picturing Raph's head on a platter with an apple in his mouth. "It's okay, really! I didn't know what it was all about anyway! It's not any of my business what goes on between the two of you."

I feel her delicate hand slid from my shoulder as a few soft sobs come out of her mouth. As I catch her hand before it falls into her lap, I suddenly find April straddling my left leg. Her arms wrap around my neck tightly, like she's afraid out falling out of my reach, and her tears begin to soak through the powder blue shirt I'm wearing. I snap my head around toward Raphael, letting go of the breath I was holding as he continues to snore away, unaware that his girlfriend and I are tingled in an embrace.

"_I hate him, Don_," April whispers into my ear through her cries. "_ I can't stand him at all! He's so mean to me! I never loved him! I just used him for his money! I was so stupid to leave-"_

I pull April closer to my chest and caressed her soft hair as her tears drowned out the rest of her words. I may have not been a romantic, but I know when a woman needs affection and a touch of sensitivity. It was the one thing that I could give April when Casey couldn't, and I guess a life of luxury was the thing Raph could give where I could not, and I always knew it. I just never wanted to admit it to myself that April was like that.

April pulled away, locking her green eyes into mine before placing her clammy palms on my cheeks and resting her forehead against mine.

_" Don,"_ she whispered. _" I'm sorry. I wish I could go back and change things. I never would have left you. You were the best thing that ever happened to me. You have no idea how much I've wanted to come back to you."_

No idea? Yeah, I had _no_ idea. April then moved my head around, bringing her lips closer to mine, and I felt a shiver go through her as she anticipated the moment when they would join. I held on to her shapely waist and inhaled the rose scent that always hovered around her, and it seemed like everything that had drove us apart began to melt away. But in that same moment, I knew that it was wrong to hold her so close. It was wrong of me to touch her in a loving manner. It was wrong of me to think that I could save her from the life she was living.

Things were different these days. We had both changed. I turned cold, she became greedy, and there was nothing that we could do that would change it.

I pushed April back gently and held her tiny wrists in my hands. The tears in her eyes began to rebuild themselves as her heart broke into a million pieces around us. A tear broke free and sailed down her pale cheek, and I let go of her just in time to catch it with my thumb before it reached her chin.

"_I can't do this, April,_" I whispered back "_ You know you can't either._ _It's not right for us to be this way."_

April inhaled sharply and stood up, wiping at her face with an intensive anger and overwhelming embarrassment that turned her white skin blood red as she went into the bathroom and shut the door. I tried not to strain my ears to listen for her sobbing, but it was impossible not to. I had just crushed all of her hopes of being happy again. Shit, what kind of a twisted asshole am I? No, I can't go after her. I did the right thing... I think. See, this is why I don't like getting involved with things like this!

As I grab at my sudden aching head, I spot Leo's folder on the floor in front of me, the papers in it scattered around. April must have knocked it away when she climbed onto me. I scoop everything up and try to shuffle them back when I notice a document stuck behind one of Leo's school papers. I set the papers to the side and pull open the document, which turns out to be Leo's adoption certificate, and scroll down a few lines. I remember the day when Leo woke me up and told me his new parents were coming to take him to his new home. He was so excited. He stood by the window and waited all morning for them to come, and when that black limo pulled up to the orphanage, Leo jumped around and shouted at the top of his lungs. I can still see the well dressed Japanese couple that exited the limo and entered the building. The woman was petite, with a porcelain complexion and a warm, loving smile. Her husband was much taller and carried himself very well, though he never smiled in the way his wife did. And while I mentioned to Leo that guy made me feel a bit uneasy, Leo just laughed and told me goodbye, calling out to me as he climbed into the limo that he'd see me again some day. But that guy, I can still see that look on his face, that scary, almost _evil _look that he gave me as I waved to Leo.

I laugh to myself as I recall that look from my childhood and much it haunted me for months after. You know, now that I think about it, it was almost that same look that Leo had on his face before he threw himself at the Shred-

"What the_ fuck_?" I hear myself scream as I jump to my feet, the paper still firmly grasped in my hands. What does that say? There is _no_ way I just saw that! This can't be possible!

"Donnie?" I hear Raph mumble and shuffle out of the chair. "What's goin' on? What happened?"

The sound of the bathroom door then rings in my ears, as does the soft tapping of April's feet as they both join me, and I bet they were caught off guard by the alarmed stupor that was hanging across my face.

I re-read the name printed on the paper, making sure I wasn't dreaming, but hoping at the same time that I was. So this is what started it. This is what made Leo go crazy. _This_ is what made Leo thirsty for revenge. _This_ is what Leo gave his life for.

"Dammit, Donnie!" Raph's shouts take my focus away as he rips the paper from my hands. "If ya have the balls ta wake me up, ya better have a damn good excuse for it! Now what the _Hell_ is it?"

At first I didn't have an answer. It was too hard for me to comprehend, much less form it in a sentence. All I could do was point to the paper, and as Raph and April read down the document, I finally found the words to sum up my state of horrified shock.

"Oroku Saki. The Shredder. The guy that Leo spent five years hunting down without a reason as to why, was the one who gave Leo a chance at a better life. Oroku Saki was Leo's adoptive father."


	10. Chapter Ten: Fires Will Burn

_Well, here it is. The ending and the epilouge that took a million years to write. Well, not really, but it seemed like it did after doing **five** re-writes! Thanks to everyone who read my story, and to those awesome people who gave such awesome reviews. I appreciate all of your kind words, even the WHOA's! ;0) Hope you enjoy!_

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Chapter Ten

Night has fallen again, just like the rain that's hitting the pavement outside, but it's the farthest thing from my mind right now. Even the quarter-fulled glass of whiskey that's sitting in front of me isn't grabbing my attention, and from the distant look on Raph's face, I'm guessing he can't concentrate on his drink either. April is placed between us, sitting backwards on the barstool and leaning back on the bar with her elbows, her eyes fixated on the dull red lights that are hanging low from the ceiling. We're all alone inside the Red Diamond, alone with our thoughts, alone in our own little world of confusion.

There's not much I could tell you about how I'm feeling at the moment. Frustrated, hurt, angry, sad- just everything wrapped into a big ball of nervous energy, and I would give anything for Shredder to show up so I can just beat the shit out of him. I'm sure Leo felt the same way when he found out. The man who had given him a new life, the man who he had called father. The man who had taught Leo everything about honor and goodness was the same one who had been taking those very things away from the city, and basically burning those values into smoldering ashes right under Leonardo's beak. But at least now I understand what made Leo go berserk like he did, and I can't really blame him. The one person he had looked up to his whole life was suddenly turned into his sworn enemy, and that's enough to make anyone go insane.

A knock on the front door scares me, causing my hand to shake the glass and spill the contents on the sleeve of my coat. I heard April and Raphael gasp, knowing that the sudden sound had made them jump as well.

"Tell them we're closed tonight," April pokes Raph in the shoulder, and to my surprise, Raph _actually_ follows her order and walks over to the door without saying a word. He sighs heavily, then turns the knob. I look away, hoping to get back to losing myself in thought again, but after I hear what sounds like Raphael getting punched in the gut, then witness him slump over to the floor, I realize I have more important things to deal with.

"Well, well, well," Rocksteady snorts, his hot breath coming out in a white fog. "Some party ya got goin' on!"

"Yeah," Bebop appears behind him and follows Rocksteady in. "It ain't very nice ta not invite us though."

Rocksteady lowers his bottom lip in a fake pout. "Ya really hurt our feelins', but we can forgive youse!"

The two hoodlums break into fits of laughter and began to shoot their enormous rifles above me and April, breaking the lights and scattering sparks everywhere. I grab April and throw her to the floor, motioning for her to get behind the bar. I pull my pistol out, weighing it in my hand to estimate how full my clip is. It's still pretty heavy, I can get at least fifteen more shoots before I need to reload. But as I jump back up to fire away, all of my efforts were for nothing. The room is full of well dressed Japanese men, forty of them at least, all of them young, muscular, and holding the same deadly gleam in there eyes. Rocksteady and Bebop reach down and pull Raphael to his feet, then rest the nozzles of their rifles against his neck and ribs, signaling to me that if I even _think_ about shooting them, Raph will get it first.

The cloud of silence is growing thicker, almost choking me. I can't make a move. There are too many adversaries in here. And even though I have many reasons to let Raph die, there would be no way I could risk his life to save my own and live with myself afterwards. I have so many thoughts running through my head, all of them telling me to do a million different things, but none of them making sense. I glance down at April, who is huddled against my leg and trying to hold back the fearful tears in her eyes. Her lips move, but I can't make out what she's saying. The silence is roaring in my ear holes. My breath is stuck in my throat. My heart beat is racing in my head. Never in my life have I _not_ known what to do, and I've never wanted Leo here more than I do now.

The Foot part to opposite sides and slowly bow, allowing the Shredder to enter into the building, his tall, thin frame towering over everyone in the room and casting a haunting shadow across the floor. His black hair is slicked back, his dark eyebrows stuck in a malicious expression, as is his mouth, sunk down on the sides in a permanent frown. The black pinstripe suit he has on accents the paleness of his yellow Asian skin, and it moved quietly with his body as he took a few long strides over to where Rocksteady and Bebop held Raphael. Shredder leans over Raph and whispers into his ear, and I could see the large drops of sweat that start beading down his green face. Raph shook his head slowly, tears starting to collect with his sweat, and Shredder curiously wipes Raph's brow with a white handkerchief, only to place a bone crunching hit into Raph's rib cage that echoes over to me and April. I wince at the sound, my stomach beginning to turn as I mentally picture his ribs collapsing, and April lets out a small cry into her palms.

Shredder moves around to Raph's right side, delivers another hit, then lets a faint smile grow across his thin lips as Raph coughs and spits blood on the floor. Rocksteady and Bebop start to let him drop, but Shredder waves his hand, and they yank Raph back up. Shredder turns to one of his many henchmen and lays out his open palm. The henchman places a lengthy, two pronged weapon into his bosses' waiting hand, and Shredder takes his time wrapping his fingers around the boxed-in handle, pushing the sharp weapon over his knuckles and holding it in place with his thumb.

Raph's eyes to grow to immense proportions, and he violently shakes his head around and struggles out of his captors' grasp. Shredder slides the prongs slowly across the front of Raph's shirt, soaking up the fear that's leaking from the mutant turtle in front of him. Raph then looks over at me, pleading with me to help him, but I can't move. I can't get my feet to go, my legs to bend. I let out the air in my throat in short puffs and watch in horror as Shredder raises his armed hand into the air and slings it back down, silencing Raph's horrified scream. The metal prongs dive deep into Raph's chest plates, puncturing the soft spot where they meet in the middle, causing a shearing sound that reminds me of when my father accidently threw cow bones into the meat grinder at his old butcher shop. That sound was all it took for me to fall to my knees and lose the contents of my stomach. Raph then falls to the floor as April's screams take over the void in my ears. I look up from my puddle of vomit to see Rocksteady dragging her out from under the bar, and soon realize that I, too, am being dragged by someone. My eyes are heavy with sickness, but I can make out Bebop's gnarled smile beaming down on me. Does he know something that I don't? Of course not. I know that I'm next in line, but there's no _way_ in _Hell_ I'm about to let that happen.

Bebop tightens his clammy grasp on my wrists as he shoves me at Shredder, pulling back when I'm about two inches from the guy's face. Shredder snarls his teeth at me, and all of those memories that haunted me years ago are flooding back. That look, that _hateful, evil_ look that scared the shit out of me when I was a child, and here it is, up close and personal.

"Ah, Donatello," Shredder hissed from his clenched teeth. "It's good to see you again."

What am I supposed to say? Good to see you too! By the way, I'm really glad you killed my brothers, and I can't wait to be next! Thank you so _fucking_ much! I narrow my eyes, a part of me wishing he could hear my sarcastic thoughts.

"You know," he began to speak again. "I'm actually glad I came here. I was hoping to end your life personally." His wicked black eyes traveled down to Raphael, the smile coming back as he stared at the lifeless body. "That one was doomed from the day he decided to follow me. His mind may have belong to me, but his foolish heart is what kept him from his destiny."

"Destiny?" I blurt out, my thoughts breaking through my clamped lips. "What are you talking about?"

Shredder looks back at me, his face twisted in a puzzled look, but that evil grin still loomed large. "Leonardo never told you, did he?"

"No." I'm not exactly lying. Leo never told me anything. Shredder throws his head back in laughter, leaving me to wonder what the punch line is as he strolls over to the bar and picks up a book of matches. He rips a match out and strikes it, letting the fire burn down the stick and onto the tips of his fingers before rubbing it out. He repeats the process over and over again, relishing in the fact that I'm completely clueless.

"Do you know anything about your origin, Donatello?" Shredder's deep voice whispers to me as he snubs out another flame. "About _why_ you were created?"

I look down to the red and black flooring under my feet, my thoughts searching for the reasoning behind my existence. I do remember, when I was five, my brothers and I had talked about where we had come from and why we were so different than everyone else. Since I was dubbed 'the smart one', I was chosen to ask one of our care givers for the answers. I can still remember as the woman lifted me into her lap and told me that once in awhile, special beings are put on the Earth to serve a greater purpose, and that the four of us were chosen to be part of something big. Yeah, that made us all excited. We were special, part of some big plan. It's nice to hear things like that when you're a kid. Keeps you from going crazy at an early age.

"Hey!" Bebop twists my arms, the joints popping as he jerks me around. "Masta Shredder asked ya a question!"

"It's all right, Bebop," Shredder waves his hand, his fingertips blackened by the matches. "He's a thinker. He's only doing what he was programmed to do."

Programmed? Did I hear him correctly?

"Excuse me?" I ask, knowing that I sound stupid for doing so. " What do you mean I was _programmed_?"

That evil smile returns. "So, Leonardo failed to tell you the truth about your pathetic life and _why_ you are _really_ here!" And there goes the laughing again.

I hear April whimper, and I turn to her, wishing I could wipe those tears from her face. She's looking down at Raph, her bottom lip quivering from her sobs, her green eyes longing to be down there with him. She can't fool me. She cares for him, not matter how bad she's been treated. She still cares for Raph like I care for her. But I need to focus. I'm slowly concocting a plan to get us both out of here. But I need a little more time, and I guess letting Shredder tell me the reason behind my pathetic life, as he put it, is a good way to buy some.

"You two! Move them over here!" Shredder snaps his fingers. Bebop and Rocksteady push us to the center of the floor where two chairs are waiting for us. After being forced to sit, our hands bound are together and we are secured to the chairs with rope. Shredder does a quick walk around, obviously making sure we aren't going anywhere, then grabs another chair and places it directly in front of me. His tall frame glides down into the chair and he makes himself comfortable, folding his hands into his lap and crossing his right leg across over his left knee. He stares at me for a moment, then motions at another henchmen, whispers into his ear, then waves him on. The henchmen calls out to the others in Japanese, and The Foot scatter to the back of the bar and out the back door. Shredder allows Bebop and Rocksteady to stay, and I can't turn to see that far behind me, but I know they have their rifles aimed at April, just in case I try to pull something.

Shredder lights another match, waiting until it goes out in his skin before he begins to speak.

"Long ago, when I was just a boy, I traveled to this city with my father and mother. They had great plans to make a new life for themselves in America, but do you know what they found when we arrived?"

He paused, but I wasn't about to let out the smart ass comments I had inside.

"They found nothing! Nothing but filth! Poverty! Oppression! All of this from the very city that had promised great fortune! My father had to work eighteen hour days in a refinery for little pay, while my mother was forced to take to walking the streets, which eventually led to her death!" Shredder takes in a deep breath, forcing his emotions back down. "This was not the life my father had promised me! I vowed the day my mother passed that I would gain control of this city and give everything to those who truly deserved it!"

"My father did make his fortune, and after he passed, everything was left to me. I had studied politics in school, and I knew just how corrupted the American government _really_ was. I used my vast knowledge of these things to make my way to the top, but I was also making my way into the underground, gaining access to the smuggling rings. I combined the two, giving myself complete control over everyone around me. I had the city in the palm of my hand, and I was on my way to taking the entire nation with me."

"So, how did me and my brothers fit into all of this?" I have to admit, Shredder's little background was interesting. Interesting enough to allow my hands to slide out of the knots of rope, that is.

"Patience, Donatello. I was getting to that part." Shredder laughs before he continues. "I had recruited some of New York's finest scientific minds and asked them to create a way for my growing army of soldiers to become stronger and faster. Some kind of hormone injection, or a steroid, if you will. But, there was one scientist who had another plan. His name was Baxter Stockman, a man who was crazy as he was brilliant, and he designed a substance called mutagen that would not only make my army more powerful, but I could also _create_ powerful beings myself! I could play God!"

I think my heart just stopped. "What? You mean-you..._you_ are the one that made us?"

Shredder nods. "In a sense, yes, but I never intended on using _turtles_. That was Baxter's fault! The four of you belonged to that idiot's son, and he only used you to make sure the chemicals in the mutagen wouldn't kill whoever we used it on. After that, I decided to use you for further experiments. Baxter programmed all of you with different tasks and abilities, making you far superior than any Foot member." His face then drops, his eyes falling to the floor. "Unfortunately, before we could use those abilities, my wife at the time discovered what we were doing and stole the four of you out of Baxter's lab, dropping you off at the blasted orphanage, knowing that I wouldn't know where to find you. She payed _dearly_ for it."

I can only imagine. "But, you did find us," I replied, and I still feel a little dumbfounded by all of this.

"I was walking through Chinatown one day with my second wife when I found a shop owned by Hamato Yoshi, who used to be an old school mate of mine. As I engaged in conversation with him, I discovered your brothers had been living with him. I tried to buy them back, but Yoshi would not have anything to do with it, and he pushed me out of his store, telling me to take my evil ways elsewhere. I went to the orphanage, hoping to at least get you and Leonardo, but that also fell through when they told me that you had already been promised to another couple."

Okay, so... I should feel _thankful _about that, right? Shit! The ropes! I'm losing my focus here!

"I took Leonardo, teaching him everything about my Japanese heritage, the way of the ninja, how to be a great leader. He looked up to me, and he tried so hard to be the best just to please me. Our bond was great, and as he grew, he was no longer just an experiment to me. He was...my son." Shredder then lets out a dramatic sigh. "But, there was something about Leonardo that I didn't count on. He was too kind, his heart...too soft. Helping others was his way of life. All through his childhood, his teen years, and even his early adult, he could not be persuaded to join me in the 'family business'. He had his heart set on joining the New York Police force, and that's just what he did. I was not happy, for those were the ones that had been hunting me down for years, but I put on a smile and cheered my son on."

"So you always knew that Leo would find out." Man, for an overpowering mob boss he sure is windy! But, I need to keep him talking. Now, if I can only keep from cutting my fingertips with this damn razor blade!

"Yes, I had expected him to discover who I really was." Shredder bolted out of his chair and replaced it back under the table he pulled it from. "And I know it broke his world apart and gave him reason to go after me. It was then I decided to destroy him before he found me first." He moved back over to Raphael's body and lightly tapped his brightly polished shoe against it. "All I needed was a pawn to bring him to me."

I let one of my now famous growls escape from my throat, but it was quickly covered by April's hysterical sobs.

"How? How could you be so heartless as to create these wonderful beings, raise one as your own, then just _dispose_ of them like it was nothing?"

"Shut yer mouth, lady!" Rocksteady cocked the gun, the shell dropping into the barrel.

"And how could you turned Raph against his own brothers like that?" April ignored the gun in her face and continued her rant. "You have no _idea_ how guilty he was feeling about being responsible for their deaths! For the death of his _father_!"

Shredder moves away from Raph, his eyebrows slanted inward as he faces April. That a girl! Just keep him busy for a few more seconds!

"Do you really think I didn't feel _guilty_, Miss O'Neil?" Shredder responded back, his threatening voice rising up a notch. " Leonardo _was_ my _son_! All of them were! I was the one who gave them life! I also had the right to take it away!" Shredder growls in frustration then rips the gun out of Bebop's hands, quickly taking aim at April's head. "I'm through with this nonsense! I will finish both of you now!"

"NOOOOO!" My own voice rings through my ears as I launch myself out of the chair, the ropes snapping around me. I flip backwards over April's head, and land squarely on top of Shredder. He falls under my weight, but his finger is still firmly wrapped around the trigger, and I can't hear the sound as the gun goes off. A burning pain rips into my side, forcing me onto the ground, and my hands go directly to the spot. A warm rush of blood fills my palms, the acidic metallic scent fills my nose, and it's almost enough to make me throw up again.

"Shoot him again boss! He ain't dead yet!" I hear Rocksteady cheering Shredder on. I raise my head slowly, watching as Shredder climbs to his feet, still wearing that crooked smile. I stare into his coal colored eyes as the barrel of the rifle moves to my face, that evil grin blurred in the background.

"It is a shame that I have to resort to this, Donatello," I strain my ears to hear his whispered voice. "But, I will spare your life if you do one thing for me."

I'm almost afraid to ask _what_. "Which is?"

"Join me. Take the place that Leonardo so foolishly declined. Stand beside me, and together we can make this city fall to its knees. Then soon, we can take the rest of the country with it."

Hmmm, that's a tough call. Die, or join up with a ruthless monster and bring destruction to an entire nation. Where's a coin to toss when you need one?

"I'd rather sit here and _bleed_ to death before I would _ever_ consider joining you, Shredder!" I respond, narrowing my eyes and gritting my teeth in anger.

Shredder lowers the rifle about an inch, giving me a look of confusion. Did he really think I would say 'yes'? But he quickly brings it back up, the barrel going right back to my face.

"Very well then," His long finger wraps around the trigger. "Give your brothers my regards."

In all the times I have faced death in the past few days, none of them have effected me as this moment right now. The world around me is fading, everything going to black. Before, I knew that something was going to stop it, something was going to pull me back to reality and I was going to live my poor-excuse-for-an-existence another day. But, what is going to stop it this time? I don't feel Leo's presence. I don't hear his voice. Maybe this really is it. Maybe this is where my earthly journey ends. It's funny at times like this when you begin to think about everything you wish you would have done, how you regret not taking certain paths in your life. Me, I have only one. April. I love her with all of my heart, but if I could go back to that night when I first laid eyes on her, I would have left it alone. She still would have been with Casey. They would have gotten married, had kids. Everything she wanted that I just couldn't commit to. Then she would be in some cozy house upstate instead of being tied to a chair waiting to die. Maybe if I had done that, I wouldn't be here, on my knees, waiting for the darkness to swallow me whole.

But even in this darkness, a shadow rises from the ground, his arms turned inward as if he is clutching something in his hands. I shake my head, clearing away the foggy vision, and I can't do anything more than gasp. It's Raph! He's not dead! But by the huge amount of blood that is covering him, he's not far from it.

The next few seconds go by in a blur of motion. Raphael staggers forward. Shredder is unaware. Raph gathers up the last of his energy and rushes toward us. He leaps into the air, lands at Shredder's feet, does a reverse under sweep, knocking the mob boss off his feet. Raph spins around, catches Shredder's suit collar before he can hit the floor, then places a well-deserved bone crushing punch across Shredder's square jaw line. And it all happens before I can even blink!

Raphael stands victorious over the fallen Shredder, then spits out a ball of salvia and blood at him. "Fuckin' bastard. I'll teach ya to fuckin' stab _me_."

And he says he never paid attention to Leo and all of that _ninja shit_!

He then turns to Bebop and Rocksteady, who look like they are in need of changing their underwear.

"It's a ghost!" Bebop cries out.

"It ain't fuckin' ghost, you idiot!" Rocksteady replies. "Shoot 'em!"

But they, too, soon find themselves on the ground. Raphael executes a front hand spring, his feet colliding with the punks' faces, and hitting his landing in perfect form, only to fall to one knee from the apparent dizziness in his head.

I push myself to my feet and move over to April, her eyes glued to Raph as I untie her hands. She jumps up, without even something as small as a thank you, and rushes to Raph's side, pulling his head to her chest and holding him tightly. I have to admit I feel a little jealous, but I think this whole experience helped bring them closer, which also makes me sick... I mean, happy.

"Come on," I say as I move closer to them. "We need to get out of here."

As April stands to pull Raph up, I noticed something is out of place. I look to the floor where Shredder had fallen, only to find an empty space. And that's when an arm is suddenly wrapped around my throat and the feeling of cold steel is placed against my cheek. I subconsciously hold my breath as Shredder drags the ends of his metallic prongs across my skin, pricking me like a bee sting as they cut tiny lines into my flesh. His evil laughter rings into my head as his grip grow tighter around my neck.

"One move, and I end his life." Shredder warns Raph and April.

"Go! Get out of here!" I scream at them as I wiggle around in Shredder's deadly grasp. They stare blankly at me, then at Shredder, not knowing exactly to listen to.

Raph leans forward in pain but still keeps his eyes to me. "Donnie, we can't just leave ya-,"

"Leave?" Shredder cuts in, his menacing laughter growing louder. "NO ONE is leaving here! My Foot soldiers have placed several explosives around the perimeter of the building, and in less than a minute, _all_ of us will perish!"

"What? No!" April cries out, losing Raph out of her hands as he continues to slump over.

"Get out of here, April! GO!" I call out again, not caring if Shredder suddenly decides to silence me right there. April blinks, her green eyes sparkling with tears, and I can feel my heart cracking in half all over again.

"Please, April! Just go! You need to get Raph out of here!" I plead with her, hoping that she will listen. "Don't worry about me!"

I can feel tears in my own eyes as April hangs her head and throws Raph's right arm around her shoulders. She strains to stand him up, then whispers in his ear and he starts to slowly walk with her.

"No!" Shredder yells, stopping them in their tracks. "You aren't going anywhere!"

"Let them go, Shredder." For being on the verge of death, my voice sure does sound calm. "It's me you want, not them."

He says no more, and April and Raph exit through the front doors without a backwards glance.

Which I'm glad they didn't. Shredder shoves his pronged weapon into my bullet ridden side, twisting the points deeper into my body. The pain... it's just so unbearable. I fall to the floor, my wounded side turning numb. A chill is setting over me. My eyes are getting heavy. I blink once, wondering how Shredder got his loafers so shiny. Another blink, the shoes are gone. I let my lids drop, feeling the beat of my heart slow its pace with each breath I take. So, this is what it feels like to die. I always want to go in my sleep, like my adopted father did. Just... wanted to go in a peaceful way. This pain...it's too much to bare.

A monstrous rumbling shakes me, forcing my eyes open as bits of wood and fire brush past my face. Ah, now not only will I die from my wound, I'll get to burn to death too. What a way to go. Another breath pushes a chuckle out of my throat, and I wonder how I can still find humor in this situation. Like Mikey. Mikey was always able to make us laugh, no matter how bad of a day we had. Boy, it's going to be good to see him again. And Leo. Yes, I'll finally be reunited with my partner, my brother. It's been a lonely existence without him. And Raph, well, at least I know that he will take good care of April, and she will do the same for him.

And it's in that comfort that I can close my eyes for good now. I push myself onto my back, and I can see Leo standing over me. His hands stretch down to me, offering me that killer smile of his. I return it, close my eyes, and allow the darkness to pass over me.

At least now... I can get some sleep.


	11. Epilogue

Epilogue

"Sir, your visitors are here."

"I know, Miles. Thank you."

I look back through the window and down to the iron gates, watching with a strange excitement as my old friends exit the yellow cab. It's been almost a year since we last talked, and I can't wait to hear what has been going on in the city.

I move quickly across the floor, stopping at the full length mirror to question my choice of apparel. After picking the lint from my brown slacks and readjusting the collar of my black turtleneck sweater, I stare at my reflection, my eyes darting back to the thin scars that sit across my cheek. My fingertips brush across them, and my memories send me back to that night two years ago when I almost lost my life.

I don't really have a 'memory', so to speak. The trauma and loss of blood kept me out of consciousness for months, but I do remember seeing the one who gave me the strength and willpower to stand up and find my way out.

I bound down the large staircase and through the sitting room, stopping at the mantle of the fireplace to take a quick look at the picture that sits there, still stuck inside that rusted metal frame. Even from beyond the realm of what we call life, Leo was still there to help me out, even if everyone thinks I'm crazy for saying he pulled me out of that fire. I know what I saw, and Leo knows I will always be grateful.

"Hey, Donnie!" A familiar Brooklyn accent floods the room. I turn away from the mantle to see Raphael, his arms stretching out for a hug, to which I happily oblige. "Nice place ya got here, bro! You were stupid ta pass this place up the first time!"

I laugh as I pull away, and it's still hard to believe how much Raph had changed. Last I heard, he had stopped drinking, cleaned up the mess the Foot left behind, and now runs New York City like Leo would have from his cozy spot as the new Mayor elect.

I then catch sight of that glowing red hair, and it still makes my heart skip a beat. April flashes her smile and her green eyes at me, and I show no hesitation as I pull her into my waiting arms, taking in that scent I had missed so much.

"It's good to see you again, Don." She whispers into my ear. "I've missed you."

"I missed you too." My eyes look at Raph, who has suddenly started to chuckle at the drunken smile on my face. It is still a shame that the two of them decided to split up for good, but at least Raph made sure that April had everything she needed. He took care of her, just like I had hoped, and she has never been happier.

I lead them both to the mahogany leather sofa and we immediately dive into conversation. Raph tells me that they still haven't found a trace of the Shredder anywhere in the city, and all of the Foot members have disappeared. A mass suicide, perhaps? No, but hey, I can dream, can't I?

The day flies by as we catch up while I give them a tour of my parents home. Miles serves us dinner on the back patio, (my regular eating spot now that autumn has returned again) after which Raph retires upstairs to one of the guestrooms. April and I return to the sitting room, where Miles has prepared a cozy fire and hot apple cider. We snuggle together on the couch, and April doesn't hold back as she nuzzles against my neck. I pull her close, holding onto her tightly as the fire pops under the mantle, and my eyes travel back to that picture of me and Leo, the celebration we shared together locked forever in those smiles and raised beer bottles.

Hey, Leo, wherever you are, thank you for being a great partner, a great brother, and my guardian angel. Life is so much better knowing that you are still around.


End file.
